


Death Becomes Her

by WishaDream



Category: Ancient Greek Religion & Lore, Kaylor - Fandom, Taylor Swift (Musician)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Angst and Fluff and Smut, Angst and Romance, Angst with a Happy Ending, Character Death, Character Growth, Complete, Drama & Romance, Eventual Romance, F/F, Falling In Love, Finding Oneself, First Kiss, First Love, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Freedom, Greek myth - Freeform, Happy Ending, Love at First Sight, Misunderstandings, Romance, Romantic Fluff, Sad with a Happy Ending, Slow Romance, Song writing, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, Tragic Romance, Underworld, alternate universe-greek myth, cerberus is big fluffy boy, finding your passion, gender fluid, greek god, hades is a fashion icon, hades is her biggest fan, learning what want from life, lot of song lyrics, love after death, metaphoric smut, only love, persephone is musical, poetic smut, poetic smut at the end, since i can't write poetry, slowburn, so much love for cerberus, story retold, title is based off a fun movie, with meryl streep
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-16
Updated: 2020-11-16
Packaged: 2021-03-09 20:36:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 16
Words: 36,727
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27592145
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WishaDream/pseuds/WishaDream
Summary: You've probably heard the story of Hades and Persephone. How he saw her, stole her, and took her to the underworld.That's the story they tell. But it's not the actual story.Here's how it really happened...
Relationships: Hades/Persephone (Ancient Greek Religion & Lore), Karlie Kloss/Taylor Swift
Comments: 2
Kudos: 14





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Was going to wait till summer to post this, but decided with the world the way it is, I'd give ya'll something more to do with your time.

Persephone loved him.

Loved him more than mere words could convey.

Loved him more than the sun could shine or the winds could blow.

He was everything to her.

The earth.

The moon.

The stars.

None of it compared to him.

Sometimes, when she let herself stop to think, she wondered—did he love her as much as she loved him?

She never let herself dwell long on this thought.

No. There was no time for such doubts.

Not when she cared for him so much.

Not when he was her everything.

  


  


“My love,” she said the words like one sings a song, welling up from her heart like wine pouring out of the vessel, spilling out her lips where it stained the ground red, “My love, what can I do for you?”

Peirithous stared ahead at a crowd of people. He was always looking off into the distance. Thinking. Dreaming about life and love and beauty. He was an artist.

A writer.

A poet.

She loved watching him work. And he was always working. Even when he was just sitting there staring off into the distance. In those moments he was building worlds in his mind, weaving prose in his thoughts. Creating moments and memories that might never exist anywhere, but on the pages he wrote.

Seeing an idea was coming to him then, she quickly cut a feather and dipped it into ink, guiding the quill into his hand as he absentmindedly reached for it. With quill in hand she guided it down to the page as she listened to the familiar scratch of dreams being manifested on parchment. It was a comforting sound. A song that made her own heart swell with possibilities.

Watching him create worlds made her own heart soar with all the things she could create.

But no.

She always stopped it, tucking her wings back into her sides.

That was not her calling. Her purpose was not to create, but to facilitate his creativity. She was his muse. And as his muse she was dedicated to ensuring he had everything he needed to create his worlds.

She loved watching him write. Seeing the pen glide across the page like a little white dancer. She liked watching his ink stained fingers linger for a moment on a word as he considered all the possibilities. All the paths he could take with that one word.

Where would he go?

She never knew.

She knew where she would have taken the word. How she would have let it grow, flourish, like a spring day. She could see flowers bloom on the ink, making it thrive, as life sprang from it like seeds from earth.

But he didn’t take that path. He took another road. One she wouldn’t have—no. She wouldn’t criticize him. He was an artist. He was the one that knew what words would create life in the readers. What words would make worlds burst forth in the readers mind so that they came away wanting more from life.

And so she sat there, watching him work, listening to the scratching on the page, the sound of his slow breathing as he worked like in a trance, moved by the god of inspiration.

She could watch him for hours when he was like this. She had done it. Sat watching the wind move through his hair like fingers brushing through. Watching the spark of inspiration light up his deep brown eyes. Seeing his lips move with the words only his heart could hear.

She longed to lean in close, to hear the whisper of his heart, a sound only they could hear when they were together like this.

“Persephone, you’re in my light.”

“Sorry.”

She leaned back. Blushing as she realized she’d actually moved in closer. Had moved into his space. Had tried to be a part of his world of creation. But that was not where she belonged. She only belonged at his side. Like a cloud soaring by the sun, basking in its presence for a moment, but not actually being a part of the sunlight.

The pen paused as something in the distance caught Peirithous’ attention.

He set the feather down.

“I have to go.”

She watched him leave, watching the world around her grow dim as her very sunlight left her. But he would be back. Just like the sun rising in the morning.

So she sat and waited for the night to end and her sun to return again.


	2. Chapter 2

After Persephone’s father had left for war it was just her and her mother, Demeter. Without a male provider they had struggled for a time. But Persephone’s mother was not one to give up. Through hard work and perseverance she built up a landscaping business.

After several years of struggling they started to do well. Started to make a name for themselves. By their fifth year in business Demeter was the one everyone wanted to design their gardens.

People said she was blessed by the gods. Some even suspected she was a god hiding in human form. The goddess of harvest and the fertility of earth. But Persephone knew no matter how skilled she was her mother was mortal.

She was there with her at the end of the day after a long day’s work as her mother rubbed her shoulders and knees. As she soaked her aching joints in warm water. Watched as she chewed herbal remedies to dull the ache in her joints till they stained her teeth green. And she heard the tears at night when the woman thought Persephone was asleep as she mourned the ache left in her heart at the loss of her husband.

Persephone wished there were something she could do to relieve the pain in her mother’s heart. But all she could do was stay by her side.

In the night, when her mother was having trouble getting to sleep she’d rub her hand back and forth over her back and sing softly to her as she drifted off to sleep.

You’re always there

You’re everywhere

But right now I wish you were here

What I’d do to have you

Here

I wish you were here

I just want to let you know

That I never wanna let go

  


In the mornings she’d do all she could to help her mother with the business. To help her live out her dreams and memories of her husband through her gardening.

Persephone was good at taking instructions from her mother. On her own she did not have the any idea of what colors went together. But she made up for that with her hard work and ability to provide help wherever her mother needed it.

“The flowers you plant always look so much brighter than the ones I plant,” observed her mother one day.

She smiled, blushing at the compliment, “I don’t do anything different. Though I do sing to them.”

“What do you sing?”

“Nothing in particular. I just have these little tunes that play in my head sometimes. When they come to me I share them with the flowers.”

  


Now I don’t hardly know her

But I think I could love her

Crimson and clover

When she comes walking over

Now I’ve been waitin to show her

Crimson and clover over and over

My such a sweet thing

I wanna do everything

What a beautiful feeling

Crimson and clover over and over

  


Her mother smiled softly, affectionately brushing Persephone’s hair back from her face, “Everyone should have their own passions.”

She shook her head, making the hair her mother had moved fall back into her face, “Oh, it’s not anything like that. It’s just something I do absentmindedly sometimes.”

This looked to disappoint her mother as her smile faded, “You should find your passion, Persephone. It’s important to life.”

She didn’t know why it was so important, not until she met Peirithous.

But that hadn’t happened yet.

Until then she focused on her work making sure that her mother’s passions were fulfilled.

Even when the clientele was difficult.

___

“No, try it over there.”

Persephone let out a tired sigh as she picked up the sapling by its base. Dirt broke apart in her fingers as she grasped the roots tighter. She moved it to the new spot, setting it down as she looked back at the woman.

‘How is this?”

The woman frowned like Persephone had asked her something offensive, “I guess the gods only blessed you with beauty. You don’t know that a person can’t tell if a thing looks good until it is put in place. And I can’t tell if this tree is in the right spot until you’ve planted it.”

Persephone’s body ached at the suggestion. She had already moved the tree three times for the woman. Each time the woman had made her dig a hole, putting the tree in the ground so that she could see “exactly” how it would look.

Like the times before she did not argue but got to work digging the hole. Once she was done she set the tree inside, holding it up when it started to lean over.

“How’s this?”

“Do you have a hole in your head? I can’t tell since you’re standing right there.”

She let go of the tree as it started to lean.

The woman cried out in annoyance, “Would you do this right and bury it so I can see what it looks like?”

The customer was always right, Persephone reminded herself. Ignoring the half of her that thought it was a stupid saying. Sometimes the customer was just an unimaginative idiot that couldn’t picture how a tree would look without having to bury it.

It wasn’t till she’d dug and buried the tree for the sixth time that the woman was satisfied. Persephone was too tired to tell the woman that the final resting place was the exact spot there they’d started.

As she stood to stretch her back she heard the woman let out a disturbed cry.

‘You’ve ruined my garden.”

She looked back at all the holes she’d dug and refilled. Patches of dirt now dotted the ground with clods of grass left on top.

‘You are going to reseed those with grass and I will not be paying extra.”

She didn’t argue. She had been in a rush with the last four holes, hoping that it would be the final one. If her mother had been doing it she would have been careful to cut out the grass so if needed she could set it back on top of the hole.

But maybe that’s why it was important that your job was your passion. If you didn’t care that much about what you were doing you wouldn’t do your best.

“I’ll get the grass seed.”

“Yeah, you better.”

  


  


The next day, Persephone heard the woman barking orders at another worker.

‘Why are you taking so long? I want this done before sunset.”

She felt pity for the other worker, feeling relief for a moment that it wasn’t her. A frown took over as she realized she did not want this woman taking advantage of someone else.

As she entered the garden she heard her mother’s voice respond, “I’m just making sure I don’t tear up the grass so I can put it back in case you change your mind.”

“Grass can be replanted. Just hurry it up. I don’t care if you are the goddess of gardening, I want this job done right and I want it done right now.”

Her mother was on her knees, the very same knees she’d been unable to bend the previous night from how sore they’d been. Her hands were covered in dirt which stained her already stained fingers. Mixed in with the dirt was blood, which Persephone assumed had come from cutting herself while trying to cut out the grass.

Heat rose in Persephone’s chest as she stalked towards the woman. Grabbing her hand before she could point out a new spot to dig, she wrenched it back.

The woman let out a yelp of pain as Persephone threw her hand to the side.

“Instead of having us bury the plant each time, why don’t you make up your mind where you want it before we dig any holes.”

The woman’s eyes flashed as she glared at Persephone, “And how am I supposed to know what it’s going to look like if you just leave it there sitting on the ground?”

“Use your imagination. Everyone has one. Except for those the gods made without brains,” her voice darkened as she added, “Or the next hole we dig could be for you.”

The woman sputtered.

Before she could come up with something to say Demeter took her daughter’s hand as she pulled her away.

“I will be taking my business elsewhere,” stated the woman as she called after them.

“That’s fine with us,” stated Demeter as she made the sign of the fig back at the woman.

“Well, I never.”

Outside the home Persephone felt her anger dissipate, changing to shame as she dropped her head, “I’m sorry, Mother.”

“She wasn’t paying us enough. May the gods strike all her plants with root rot. But darling girl, I wish you would stand up for yourself the way you stand up for others.”

She patted her mother’s hand as it stroked her cheek, “I will try. For you, Mother.”


	3. Chapter 3

It was on another job with her mother that Persephone met Peirithous.

He had been performing at one of the houses they were working at.

As she planted flowers in the patio garden his voice carried to her like a sweet perfume on the breeze.

He had been performing one of his original works, a tale about a woman who had made the mistake of falling for the god Narcissus. The tale was so grand and the words so well written that Persephone found herself watering the flowers with her tears.

Afterwards she found Peirithous to let him know just how much his art had touched her.

“It’s a great honor for an artist to see the listener’s reaction.”

“I’d have to be made of stone to not react.”

He smiled and it was like the clouds had parted on her life and the sun shone through.

She shivered as he touched her cheek, wiping away a lingering tear with his thumb.

“She was a sunbeam. A beacon of hope in an otherwise shadowy existence. He couldn’t imagine the world without her in it. For her, he would move worlds.”

Her breath caught in her throat at the beauty of his words.

He smiled again; enjoying her reaction like one enjoys freshly poured wine.

After that she was like Echo with Peirithous being her reflection. He became for her the whole world.

“She was like his shadow. So dedicated to him he realized he did not deserve her love.”

Every time he repeated the tale of Echo she felt like she was hearing it for the first time. Her heart ached right along with the cursed girl when Narcissus pushed her aside. And her eyes filled with tears each time Echo faded away till there was nothing left of her but her voice.

“How fitting that a woman should have nothing left to her but her voice,” stated one listener after the tale.

“And then all she can use it for is to repeat the words that men say to her,” added their friend.

The words brought a frown to Persephone’s face. The way the two spoke made it seem like they did not see the true point to the story. The true beauty.

It was not about love being won but about one’s undying devotion. Long after the other was gone the love one felt for them was never lost. Even if the love remained unrequited one never lost their passion for the other. And wasn’t that where the beauty of life came from, the passion and devotion one felt for another?

Wasn’t this the kind of passion her mother wanted for her?

To feel like she could not go on without the thing, the one that gave her life purpose.

All she knew for sure was that being with Peirithous gave her life meaning. Gave her life a purpose.

She had finally found her passion and she was going to make sure she never lost it.

___

While the story of Echo was new to Persephone, Peirithous had been performing it for a few years. By that time people’s interest was starting to wane as they asked him when he was going to write his next great tale.

Peirithous said that Persephone had been sent by the gods.

“You are my new muse, Persephone. Your beauty and devotion to me will inspire my next great work.”

Her heart swelled at the idea as she spent every moment of her day with him to ensure she was always there to provide his every need. With her next to him the words flowed from his pen.

“I was born in the arms of imaginary friends

Free to roam, made a home out of everywhere I’ve been

Then you come crashing in, like the realist thing

Trying my best to understand all that your love can bring

Half of my heart’s got a grip on the situation.”

  


The words she inspired became part of his next great work, a tale about a naïve forest nymph who made the mistake of falling for a poet.

“Half my heart’s got a right mind to tell you

That I can’t keep loving you

With half of my heart

I was made to believe I’d never love somebody else

I made a plan, stay the man who can only love himself

Lonely was he song I sang, till the day you came.”

  


People liked the tale, but they all commented on how it was not as grand as the story of Echo.

“When are you going to write something longer?”

Peirithous grew tired of the constant criticism from the “ungrateful audience.”

“They wouldn’t know art if it struck them down like a bolt from Zeus.”

With Persephone, he escaped to the hills where he could find inspiration for his next great work.

  


When he wasn’t working she would have him tell her again the tale of Echo. Hearing the tale reminded her of their first meeting and the moment she had realized he was her destiny.

Other days she would have him tell her the tale she had inspired of the wood nymph and her doomed love.

“Your faith is strong

But I can only fall short for so long

Down the road, later on

You will hate that I never gave ore to you than half of my heart

But I can’t stop loving you.

I can’t stop loving you with half of my heart

Half of my heart is a wedding

To a bride with a paper ring

Half of my heart is the part of a man

Who’s never truly loved anything.”

Other times they would wander the green hills, basking in the colors of the rising sun. They’d splash through the sparkling waters of the river living as it were in a dream. Colors seemed so much brighter when they were together. At times she thought she even saw brand new colors.

“I wish I could capture the way you feel for me in a bottle so I could always have that feeling with him.”

“But you will always have me so you don’t need to bottle it.”

At night, Peirithous would read to her the words their adventures together had inspired and she would listen to each word like it was the earth’s lullaby, fading into sleep like Hypnos himself were rocking her.

He told her that she gave his life new purpose.

“I was just wandering the world without any real purpose before I met you.”

She was the reason he could continue writing when he had lost all hope he’d ever write again. For a time this brought her great joy, just being there for him as his inspiration. But the more time she spent with him the more she felt a longing for more.

A longing to do more than to just give everything she had to inspire him. To do more than help him reach the highest point of inspiration so that he could regain the honor he’d once had.

Listening to his words inspired her own. After he was done reading she would wax poetic about how his words had made her feel.

“You are the air I breath. The wind beneath my wings. The one that lifts me up. My everything.”

Being with him the flowery words spilled from her like an overflowing fountain.

Her praise inspired him as sometimes she’d notice him repeating her words in his poems. They’d be slightly different, working to capture the magic he’d felt from her as he made it his own.

She always felt happy to hear her words repeated by him, but a small part of her would wonder if some of the magic hadn’t been lost.

Peirithous noticed this as he lamented, “I wish I could capture your energy. Borrow your spirit and use it as my own. Where do you even come up with this stuff?”

“I don’t know. It’s just a part of me. Like breathing.”

He looked angry, frustrated as she was startled by him slamming his fist down on a rock. She was not sure what she had said to make him mad, but hurried to take his hand as she kissed his bruised knuckles.

“I’m sorry,” she kissed his thumb, “I’m sorry.”

He took his hand back as he told her he was tired from writing. She accepted the excuse, knowing from previous times just how drained he could be after a long day of working. Writing took a lot out of him. But he told her she gave him energy.

Even at the end of the day, when she had nothing more to give him, he assured her that holding her in his arms was enough.

Just the two of them with only the moon as witness of their love.


	4. Chapter 4

Persephone would do anything for him. Anything he asked, no matter how hard, no matter how impossible it seemed, she would do it.

For him.

It wasn’t something hard he asked her that day.

Just to go on a walk through the hill country.

“I need inspiration.”

She had been his inspiration at one point. The “only thing he needed,” he’d once said.

But it was fine. She understood. Sometimes you needed a little more to get the creative juices flowing. If you always wrote from the same source everything would start to look the same.

She didn’t want that for him. She wanted his works to live on long after he had passed. To be one of those great poets that everyone thought back to when they talked about great works.

That day she’d brought a picnic. He had said it was just going to be a short outing, but she’d learned from past experiences that a day outing could turn into an overnight stay. They had been together long enough now that she’d learned to anticipate his every need before he even knew he asked.

She smiled as he thanked her for the food when he started feeling hungry.

“I thought you were just being a nuisance bringing all this food, but I’m glad for it.”

Once he had filled his belly he returned to filling his soul as he started to write again. He had once said the only reason he could keep writing was because of her support.

While he worked, she turned her gaze out to take in the nature around them. She didn’t know if it was because of how much time she’d spent with him, but she felt like she saw the world in words now. Even the simplest of things appeared to her poetic. Like a bee landing on a flower, or a drop of water on a blade of grass. Each rang out to her like musical notes on a string.

When Peirithous seemed to be struggling she shared her own insights into the music of the world. The first time she did he smiled as he wrote down her exact words. It made her heart swell with pride to have found a new way to help him.

After that she tried more often to help him when he seemed to be struggling with a line of text.

The next time he shared his poems people came up at the end to congratulate him on his new work.

“Such beautiful prose,” stated one woman as she repeated her favorite line.

Persephone beamed when she realized it was the line she had suggested to him. Peirithous did not look as brightened by this as after that any time she made a suggestion he shut her down.

“I don’t need your input. I am the poet. You are nothing more than the sunrise. One does not ask the sunrise for their opinion. They just ask it to sit there and look pretty.”

Her heart ached at the hardness in his words, but she knew he was right. She was only there to provide for his needs.

She decided to keep the rest of her poetic thoughts to herself. But once awakened the bug of inspiration was not easy to crush. At times when she’d sit there, being the sunrise for her sun, she would think about how if he changed this line of text, or substituted this word for another how it could be read like a song.

“Persephone, stop.”

She looked at him as he frowned with annoyance.

“You’re humming again. I can’t think while you’re making that sound.”

“I’m sorry. I’ll be quiet.”

As she sat there silently she wondered if this was how Echo had felt. Sitting silent, wishing, waiting, hoping for someone else to speak so that she might finally hear her voice again. But even then she would never be able to say the words her heart longed to speak, only being able to repeat what others had said.

If she stayed silent long enough would she one day become like Echo?

  


I didn’t know what to do with my hands

I cut them off so they wouldn’t get in your way

I didn’t know where to look when you weren’t around

I took out my eyes so even when you were around I couldn’t see what I was missing

My tongue always tripped and said the wrong thing

I cut it out and now all I hear is silence

And still you say I haven’t done enough

Why am I never enough for you?

_____

Though she tried to put away the poetic inclinations of her heart, her love for Peirithous inspired her own poem which she read to him one day.

“I feel totally lost

If I’m asking for help it’s only because

Being with you has opened my eyes

Could I ever believe such a perfect surprise?

I keep asking myself, wondering how

I keep closing my eyes but I can’t block you out

Want to fly to a place where it’s just you and me

Nobody else so we can be free.”

He said it was a cute attempt, but to “Keep to what you’re good at. Being my muse.”

She told herself he would know. He was the famous poet after all.

One day, while walking in the market, she heard a familiar poem. Moving in closer, she listened as a man read from a scroll.

“And I’m all mixed up, feeling cornered and rushed

They say it’s my fault but I want her so much

Want to fly her away where the sun and rain

Come in over my face, wash away all the shame

When they stop and stare, don’t worry me

Cause I’m feeling for her what she’s feeling for me

I can try to pretend, I can try to forget

But it’s driving me mad, going out of my head.”

Though the pronouns had been changed everything else was the same as the poem she had written for Peirithous.

Once the poem was done she approached the man reading it as she inquired, “Who wrote this?”

“Peirithous of Athens. Another instant classic to be sure.”

Her heart clenched as she realized he had taken her words and made them his own. Her mind swirled with confusion.

Why would he do this?

Out on the hill she found him sitting, staring out at the sunset. As she watched the wind blew across the field as the light faded into night.

Listen to the wind blow, down comes the night

Running in the shadows, damn your love, damn your lies

Break the silence, damn the dark, damn the light

And if you don’t love me now

You will never love me again

I can still hear you saying

You would never break the chain

Then he turned, noticing her as his expression brightened with a smile. In an instant all the doubts that had clouded her mind were burned away by the sunlight of his smile.

He reached for her and she met him, placing her hand in his as he pulled her close. In an instant her heart was reunited with his and all worries and concerns she’d felt flew away on the wings of love.

As the sun faded beneath the horizon so that the night cast long foreboding shadows she was not afraid. Not as long as she had him. With him she was always safe.

____

“Hey, babe, could you go sit over there.”

Persephone looked where Peirithous was pointing.

A hillside with pink flowers breaking up the blue green grass. At the edge of it sat a single grey rock which jutted up into the blue sky like the top of mount Olympus. It was a beautiful scene, if not for the fact that the rock partially hung over the edge of a cliff.

Seeing the hesitation in her eyes, Peirithous assured her, “It’s fine. Don’t make a big deal about it. Just sit there and look pretty. Hurry, I feel a poem coming. ‘Green like ivy, her eyes reflecting the sky.”

She let out a dreamy sigh. She couldn’t wait to hear how he described her this time.

It would probably include something about the sunlight creating spots of light in her golden hair. Her sky blue eyes looking like someone had cut out holes in the sky to place them in her eyes.

Sitting on the rock, she felt it shift under her weight as she put out her hands to balance herself.

“Are-are you sure this is ok?”

“It’s fine.”

He didn’t look up from the page as the words started to flow through him to the pen. Not wanting to interrupt the flow, it could be so hard to keep a hold of it; she sat back on the rock.

She knew how fickle inspiration could be. She had once interrupted him, having started to hum without even realizing it, for a week he could not write.

“You scared it off with your sour tunes.”

She felt bad for that. Reading his poem over his shoulder had just inspired the tune from her heart. Before she knew it she had started to hum along with the words.

The rock settled as she got comfortable. Peirithous was like a painter, the words were his paints, his pen the brush. He could capture words on a page, painting whole galaxies in black and white.

She wished she could do that. Wished she could say things in a way that made people’s minds explode with color while they looked at nothing more than letters on a page. She wanted to be able to capture moments on a page. Keeping them there long after the event had passed. She wanted to be able to…

A bird cawed, drawing her gaze up.

A raven.

She followed its flight with her eyes.

It moved through the air like the winds were under its control.

What did it feel like to fly?

To feel like nothing was holding you and yet, somehow, everything was holding you up.

Up in the sky one must feel free. Able to see everything at once. To go anywhere. To do anything.

She let out a breath, deeper than any sigh she’d ever let out before. In it she heard something hollow, lonely, empty. Like the mouth of a cave, stretching out into a darkness that never ended. A darkness that contained nothing, but more shadows and a fear of the unknown.

What would it be like to fall into that emptiness?

To let the darkness engulf you.

To never feel anything again. Not sadness. Not love. Not betrayal. Nothing but the feeling of falling.

“Persephone.”

She heard the panic in Peirithous’ voice before she realized that the world around her was shifting. Then she felt everything at once.

The wind.

The sky.

Everything and nothing.

And the feeling of falling.

Falling.

Falling.

Above her she heard Peirithous call out her name. Over the cliff’s edge she saw his head looking down at her. Just a head. Hanging bodiless like something straight out of the pits of Tartarus.

Had she actually fallen into hell and Peirithous had come to rescue her.

“Peirithous. Peirithous.”

Hope filled her words as her heart soared up to meet him. Like the sun he hung high in the sky looking down at her. All he needed to do was reach out and lift her up.

But she was too far from him now.

She knew this as she told his disembodied head, “This isn’t your fault. Don’t blame yourself.”

Above her the raven was still flying. Floating as it let out a caw. For a moment she thought it sounded like the words, “He won’t.”

Then everything went black as she found the bottom of the darkness.


	5. Chapter 5

Cold.

It was cold.

So cold.

But worse than the cold was the silence.

No birds cawing.

No wind blowing.

No music.

Nothing.

Just silence.

She did not know how long she was in that world of nothing before she heard voices, moanings that sounded like they were coming from another world.

Another place.

Another time.

Then the silence returned. And with it came a shadow.

A blackness that shifted above her. It was only dark grey, but then complete night covered her eyes as the coldness went away.

Was this what dying felt like?

Something shifted under her and she felt herself fall in reverse. But instead of falling all the way up, she only rose a few feet off the ground as she started to hover between Gaia and Ouranos.

Her body moved forward. A familiar feeling like when Peirithous carried her in his arms. She always felt so safe then as he carried her, “Close to my heart.”

She wanted to laugh, but the act choked in her throat as she realized she would never see him again.

“Peirithous.”

The movement paused as if hesitating. She was floating like a bird in death. It’s body broken, wings torn, unable to take itself any further in life, needing someone else to carry it the rest of the way into the skies of eternal slumber.

Was this how it felt for everyone when they died?

Like they were being carried into the underworld. A steady pace. Strong arms.

If this was how it felt to die it wasn’t that bad. At least she wasn’t alone.

Even if one died alone it was nice to know they walked into death with a companion. Even if that companion was death themself.

She felt herself drift away as she started to hum a sad tune.

With death by my side I will never be alone again

With death by my side I will not fear what lies ahead

Because with death by my side I will never walk alone.

____

A sweet smell filled her lungs as she drifted back into consciousness. Taking in a deep breath she stretched out, letting all the tension in her body release as she relaxed into the bed.

It felt like she was lying on a cloud. Or a soft bed of new grass.

She snuggled into it as she let out a contented sigh. As her mind again filled with the clouds of sleep she started to hum to herself a happy tune. With the tune words came to her mind, something about cotton pink clouds and light blue skies. Purples and pinks mixing together to make a happy sunrise.

Sunrise!

She needed to get up. Her mother needed her help that morning with a very important client and—

She sat up, the sight in front of her erasing the panic of running late and replacing it with a feeling of confusion.

The room around her was not her simple bed chamber with its single bed with light pink curtains and honey suckle vine growing on the window sill.

Instead she found herself in a large square room with a roaring fireplace on one wall. A pot was hanging over it, a liquid bubbling inside. And she was not in her bed with its worn blankets, but a large four poster bed with sheets of silk and blankets as thick as her hand.

A dark wood vanity sat next to the bed with a trey of food, a bowl of soup, and a slice of bread spread with a shimmering deep red jelly.

It was the grandest room she had ever seen, even when she’d peeked into her clients bedrooms none of them had been as grand as this with its vaulted ceiling from which bolts of cloth hung down like upside down rainbows in the sky.

A soft breathing came to her ears as she turned to notice she had a company. Next to the fire sat a large leather chair in which a sleeping form rested. It had the shape of a human but was completely covered in black so that it also appeared like a solid shadow. Or like a disturbance in the air, a darkness that just did not look right in the world. Like it had been cut from another place and put there in the chair.

Sliding out from the covers her feet touched the softest carpet she had ever felt. It was like stepping on sheep. She almost felt guilty as she padded across the room, away from the dark figure in the chair towards the only door she saw in the room.

Just as her hand touched the handle she heard a voice behind her say, “Leaving already?”

The voice seemed to come from everywhere and nowhere. Deep like a cave lake. Mysterious and just as dangerous.

Turning she watched as the dark shape rose. It was for sure a person. One dressed in long, baggy pants that were fitted at the calves. They almost appeared like a skirt with how they hung down to the knees. With the pants they wore a long knit robe with a hood that hung long and low over their face so that all she could see were shadows. Her heart quivered with the thought that there might not be anything past those shadows.

A wraith. This was what they appeared like to her. She had heard the creature described, with their long hoods and tattered robes. Even as the thing moved towards her they appeared to float like the earth no longer held sway over their movements.

“You should eat.”

Again the voice came, making her feel as if she had been plunged into deep cold water. So deep she couldn’t see the surface.

“Where am I?”

The hood shifted to the side as if the shadow couldn’t look at her as it said the words, “You are in the underworld.”

Now she really was drowning as she felt herself stumble back into the door, her legs losing strength as she felt herself slide down to the ground.

She was drowning in a sea of emotions deeper than the deepest of oceans. Like in the real ocean she couldn’t breathe as the bubbles of hope burst around her reminding her she’d never breathe again.

A hand touched her shoulder, heavy, but gentle, as the shadow gazed down at her, “Breathe. Just breathe.”

The breaths came in stuttered, but she was able to clear some of the panic away.

She had known this was going to happen when she felt herself falling, but still she hadn’t been prepared for this.

Whatever this was?

“Wait. If this is the underworld…” she looked around again.

This room looked nothing like how the Elysium fields had been described. It looked more like a bedroom in some mansion. And if this was Tartarus there should be flames and the screams of tortured souls, not feathered pillows and plush carpeting,

“Where in the underworld am I?”

“You are presently at the home of Hades, god of the underworld.”

A pause then the shadow added, as if it needed clarified, “My home.”

And she was falling again with no end in sight.

  


I once felt love

An endless falling

A feeling I never feared.

Now that I’ve hit the ground

Fear is all I feel.


	6. Chapter 6

He sat in shadows

Encased in fear

The world around him

As dark as night

  


The man of shadows returned to the seat by the fire as they instructed Persephone to eat. By the fire, the flames cast even more shadows on the already shadowed figure. The light made it appear like the matte black skulls on their pants were laughing. Or screaming. Or both.

Though she was afraid, she did feel hungry. Sitting on the edge of the bed she started to eat the soup, which warmed her insides, making the shivering she’d felt since leaving the bed subside.

The hood of the cloak was bobbing when she looked back, like the movements of someone fighting sleep.

Did death sleep?

A scroll lay in their lap. Part of it had rolled off their lap where it had rolled onto the floor, stretching away from the chair.

Seeing the shadow like that made the scene appear less threatening. Peaceful even. Quiet. With only the pop of the fire to fill the emptiness. The pop and the low hum of Persephone as she calmed herself further with a simple melody.

The hood of the figure dipped deeper then shot up again as she startled.

“Sorry.” The words were out without her having to think about them as she cringed at the thought her humming had bothered death itself.

“No, it was nice,” the deity’s voiced reminded her of the sea. Of waves crashing in the night. Waters churning as moonlight silvered the caps of the waves as they slid across seashore.

Shaking off the last of the sleep that had gripped them, Hades rose as they directed Persephone to follow them. They appeared to float across the room. As she looked down she realized their feet were hovering half an inch off the ground. That’s how she noticed the shadow had a shadow.

“You can do whatever you want here,” they opened the door to the room, giving her a view of a long hallway with doors lining the sides, stretching off into what seemed like eternity, “Accomplish anything here that you weren’t able to in life. Follow any passions you didn’t think possible.”

The hood turned back to look at her. A long pause followed as if they expected her to say just what her passion was. But like in life she hadn’t any ideas.

But the prospect of doing whatever she wanted made her heart rise with possibility. In life her focus had always been on what others wanted. What her mother needed, what would help Peirithous the most.

Now—now she was a rudderless ship without any purpose or knowledge for how to live her life without someone else to give her purpose. Without having someone else to please. Someone else to worry over.

“Just think about it,” stated Death before floating away down the hall.

They left the door open like a silent signal she was free to roam. Not knowing what else to do she did as she started walking down the hall.

The walls of the halls were lined with doors. Some were open to reveal other luxurious bedrooms like the one she had awoken in. Others contained shelves of golden depictions of people in various poses. Still others were empty with the walls filled with painted images. Another room was filled with marble statues. The next room had a sparkling silver fountain with fire fly lights dimly lighting the room whose walls were covered in wisteria and ivy. The soft bubbling of the fountain calmed her heart as she lingered for a moment.

Without the pounding in her ears she was able to make out the sound of a constant tick-ticking coming from further down the hallway. Following the sound she walked past busts of various figures whose names were etched at the bases. Some she’d heard of in history like Hypatia and Sappho, some she’d never heard of like Stevie Nicks and Simone de Beauvoir.

The ticking grew louder as she came closer to the room. The door was closed but she found it unlocked as she pushed it open. As soon as she did she was blasted with the sound of ticking.

The room was filled with objects that practically screamed at her. Some had pendulums that swung beneath the round faces. No two objects looked exactly the same thought they all had a similar face that reminded her of a sundial.

There were small rods on the circles, some had three rods, some had two, each had symbols written on the edges, some symbols she recognized as roman numerals.

“They’re clocks.”

She was startled as she turned back, surprised when she was met with the sight of someone other than the cloaked figure.

Instead of death she saw a young woman with honey suckle yellow skin and seafoam green hair. Though it seemed like an odd combination it looked perfectly natural on her.

Persephone wondered if this girl wasn’t some kind of nature nymph, she had heard they had unique coloring to their skin and hair.

The girl had snuck up with the sound of ticking drowning out her steps. She spoke loud enough to be heard over that ticking then as she introduced herself, “I am called Minthe.”

Persephone gave her name before inquiring, “Why does Death have so many time keepers?”

“Things are mostly the same around here from one moment to the next. Sometimes one can forget that time is even passing. This room helps remind one when they’ve forgotten that time still marches on. At least, that’s what Hades says. Death isn’t the only constant in life, time is also always moving.”

She smiled brightly like it gave her great joy to repeat the words of Hades. Persephone understood the feeling as she felt the same way about repeating Peirithous poems.

Had felt that way.

She felt a deep sadness as she realized she’d never hear his voice again. Never hear his newest poem. Never again be the inspiration for another line or sonnet.

“There are better rooms than this,” stated Minthe as she closed the door so they didn’t have to shout over the ticking, “Would you like a tour?”

“I don’t want to take up your time.”

The woman laughed, the sound reminding Persephone of tinkling bells, “Don’t be silly, we both have all the time in the world now.”

The girl held out her hand, Persephone hesitated for only a moment before taking it. Her hand felt warm in Persephone’s, reminding her of a summer day with the sun shining on her back.

Did her own hand feel warm?

Or was she as cold as death?

Did death’s hand feel cold?

“This is the room of seasons.”

Looking inside, Persephone found a room full of plants. It was like a greenhouse she had once seen with flowers and trees and bushes filling the room to the brim with life. She lingered as she thought she heard the soft twittering of birds and the rustling of wings.

“If the clock room reminds Death of the passage of time what does this room do?”

“The same. Seasons also remind one of the passing of time. Hades doesn’t get to go above ground all that often so this reminds them of the world above.”

To never be able to see the world above again filled her heart with sorrow. To never again see her mother’s smiling face or smell freshly dug earth. To never smell the flowers blooming or taste the sweet nectar of a honey suckle flower. To never feel Peirithous’ hand in hers or see the morning light shimmering in his hair as he bent over a sheet of parchment his mind completely focused on his work.

As if sensing her loss, Minthe squeezed her hand as she gave her a reassuring smile, “It’s not all that bad. Would you like to go inside?”

Though it would hurt to enter this facsimile of the living world, it might also be a balm for the pain. And it would be good to start to get used to her new home.

As soon as she stepped into the room she was hit with the smell of green. Sometimes in life, she would sit with her eyes closed and let the smells and sounds fill her senses. To experience a scene one did not only need their eyes. To really appreciate an ocean view one must also be able to smell it, to taste it, to feel it.

When she closed her eyes she could forget that she was standing in a room in Death’s castle. She could pretend she was above ground again, with a spring breeze blowing through her hair, carrying with it the scent of hope and new life.

A life she would no longer be a part of.

Her eyes came open as she felt her throat tighten with tears.

“Why am I here?”

Minthe gave her a curious smile before asking, “Did Hades not tell you?” she shook her head, “They can be so forgetful. You died.”

“No, I know this. But why am I here?” she spread her arms to motion to the room, the home of Death, “They told me to find my passion.”

Minthe’s smile faltered for only a moment before regaining its verve, “Hades gets bored down here. Sometimes they like to hold back a soul from moving onto Elysium or Tartarus in order to have a little fun with them.”

She felt her heart shake at the possibilities, “What kind of fun?”

The girl shrugged, “Oh, it varies from person to person. I remember this one guy Hades held back had a fear of, well, basically everything. Hades had fun with him by filling all the rooms with his greatest fears. The guy’s screams could be heard throughout the palace for years. On occasion I think I still hear him screaming. I’m not sure if Hades ever sent him on or if they got bored and forgot about him. For all I know he could still be wandering the halls.”

Persephone shivered.

“If you see some guy running towards you I suggest you run the other way. The last time I did see him he’d gone mad and tore apart a sheep with his bare hands.”

Now she felt nauseous as she closed her eyes and tried not to picture the image.

Seeing her discomfort, Minthe patted her arm as she said, “Don’t worry. Hades will lose interest in you eventually. And maybe they won’t do anything too horrible. Just try to enjoy the parts you can.”

After that Persephone did not feel like continuing the tour.

Minthe volunteered to take her back to her room, “Don’t worry, I’ll keep you safe.”

Persephone didn’t have to ask “from what” as they turned a corner. Up ahead she watched a specter float past. A shadow of a person who had once been living.

“A servant,” as Minthe called it.

“They mostly just float about doing whatever duties they’ve been tasked with. They won’t bother you. Or, they shouldn’t. On occasion they have been known to try to take over the bodies of the living. And since you just recently died they might try to take over you, but since you’re not really alive,” she made an expression like a grimace, “that never goes well.”

“Does, does Hades want to make me a servant like them?”

A shrug, “That’s really up to Hades’ mood.”

Minthe gave her a smile like there weren’t any foreboding undertones to the wrods as they finally reached Persephone’s room.

Before she could head inside, Minthe advised her, “Don’t stay stuck in your room forever. If you don’t want Hades to get bored with you it’s best you do what they want and find some inspiration.”

“Inspiration for what?”

The door closed before she could get an answer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> further reading: https://www.theguardian.com/books/2019/aug/20/was-simone-de-beauvoir-as-feminist-as-we-thought


	7. Chapter 7

The next day, was it the next day, Persephone couldn’t tell. Sometime later Minthe came to her doorinviting her out to wander the halls.

Even more ghostly apparitions were moving around this time. Persephone hid behind the girl who seemed amused by her fear.

“You realize they won’t actually bother you.”

Persephone gripped her arm tighter, “But you said they would take over the bodies of the recently dead.”

“Did I?” she looked thoughtful, “Well, as long as I’m with you they won’t hurt you. Most of the time they’re too out of it to even know you’re there.”

To emphasize this the woman waved her hand through the face of the specter nearest them. It did not even flinch when her hand went through it, its form floating away from the hand like a cloud of mist.

“Do they not bother you because you have some immunity as one of Hade’s servants?”

The woman laughed, “As if. No. I am head consort. And I’m not technically human. I’m a nymph. Humans aren’t allowed in the castle under any circumstance.”

Persephone shivered as Minthe related a few of the terrible things that would happen to any humans found in the underworld.

Disembowelment. Exsanguination. Having their body taken over by one of the specters which would most definitely drive them mad so that they ran screaming into the lava rivers surrounding the castle. Hung over the lava river by their thumbs.

When it seemed like Minthe might go one forever Persephone interrupted with a question, “Will I become like one of the specters when Hades is done having their fun with me?”

She felt cold at the thought as she watched the ghostly apparition float by. No emotion showed on their placid face. If not for the vaguely human shape you might mistake them for a cloud.

Was there any humanity left in them at all?

“I don’t know what Hades will do with you once they are done.”

The woman started to list all the things Hades had done to those who had come before Persephone.

If she could actually sleep at night she was sure she would have had nightmares. Instead she just closed her eyes. In the morning, was it morning, she found another a trey of food beside her bed.

Did she need to eat in the underworld?

Hadn’t she heard something about it being bad to eat in the underworld? She was sure that warning only applied to the living and she was sure she had died from that fall.

The memory made her lose her appetite.

That day Minthe did not greet her when she opened the door to the room. Perhaps she was busy with other things being the ruler of hell’s consort.

Whatever that meant.

Having seen all the other rooms nearest hers, she took a quicker pace to get to a section of hallway she had not explored before.

That was all she did, wander. She still wasn’t sure what Hades wanted her to do.

What did it mean to live the life she hadn’t lived above?

What did they expect her to do with this extra time? And how was this entertaining to them.

There was a room full of paintings. A room of sculptures made from various stones and metals. A room that was just a giant pool with various water features and slides.

It was past this room she heard the sweet sound of a lyre.

She followed the sound, expecting to find some music room. Instead she found a young man with eyes like two pools of water in the moonlight and raven wing locks curled like sheep’s wool on his head. He was hiding behind a large pillar, a sculpture of an intimidating figure. The man looked even smaller next to it. He looked to be hiding as he absentmindedly strummed on the lyre while peeking around the pillar in a panicked manner.

“Are you hiding from someone?”

He startled, letting out a yelp as his fingers struck a discordant chord on his instrument. Seeing he looked ready to bolt, she called out to him, “Stop. I won’t hurt you. I’m new here too. Just freshly passed.”

At this he stopped, looking to lose his fear as sadness and regret replaced the emotion, “I’m sorry to hear that. I lost someone recently as well.”

“It is rather confusing. At times I forget that I have passed, but when I—wait, you said you lost someone?”

He nodded.

As she took a closer look she realized he looked to have more color to his face than the other “guests” in the home of Death. He looked to be bursting with life compared to them.

The man’s eyes darted around the room before coming back to her. “I’m actually looking for her. My wife, Eurydice. She recently died of a snake bite. Have you seen her?”

She hadn’t. But she had not been there long enough to meet all the recently deceased and not all were invited to the castle, as Minthe had informed her.

“I’m sorry, I don’t.”

The young man looked especially downcast as his lyre let out a mournful sound.

“But I could ask around. Do you wish to tell her goodbye?”

He shook his head, “No. I’m going to take her back with me.”

He sounded so determined; she felt her heart flutter with a longing she hadn’t realized she’d been harboring. A wish that Peirithous would come to do the same for her.

“Are you sure,” her voice quivered, “are you sure that will work? No one has ever come back from the dead before.”

“I cannot go on without her. So either I take her back or I remain here with her.”

It all sounded so terribly romantic. Persephone told him she would help as she invited him to hide in her room until she could find his wife. She did not mention to him the danger he might be in if he was found.

“I’ll look for her and you just stay here.”

“I’m Orpheus by the way.”

She smiled, “Persephone. Oh, when you go back to the world of the living, can you deliver a message for me?”

“Of course.”

“My boyfriend, Peirithous, was there when I died. I just want to make sure that he knows it was an accident and not to blame himself. And if you could tell my mother I love her, I’d just like her to hear that from me one last time.”

He smiled, his moonlit eyes sparkling in the light of the fireplace in the room, “Of course. I know how important it is to let the ones you love know you care. I,” his voice broke, “I wish I had told her more often how much I love her.”

She took his hand, patting it gently as she listened to him sob quietly. Even the sound of his cries was like listening to a soft dirge.

“I will find her so you can tell her whatever you want for as long as you want.”

  


  


She left Orpheus to sadly strum on his lyre as she searched the many rooms of the castle.

Down a hall with a room full of instruments she heard a tinkling laugh. Following the sound, she stopped short as she spotted Minthe. It wasn’t the woman that made her stop, but the person with her.

Minthe laughed again as she swatted at the chest of the dark figure in front of her. Hades in turn just seemed to glower down at her, looking like a dark crow sitting on a freshly bloomed tree.

“I’ve informed her why you’ve allowed her to stay here,” the woman’s voice reminded Persephone of the sound of the wind blowing through the leaves.

No response.

Another laugh, then the spring breeze went as cold as winter’s breathe as she continued, “I don’t know why you are still playing these games. It’s not like these second chances ever change anything. They had their chances in life. If they couldn’t change things then they are not going to do anything different in death.”

The dark figure reached out. Persephone winced, expecting the woman to disappear with a startled scream and a burst of black energy. Instead the figure placed their hand on the woman’s shoulder in an almost reassuring manner.

“I still want to give her the chance. I want her to see just how special she is.”

Was the green woman actually pouting?

It was then Persephone realized she was witnessing a lover’s quarrel.

She turned away. This was not something she should be witnessing.

___

At the end of the day, or when she felt like she had searched every inch of the castle, she headed back to her room.

Orpheus was sitting on her bed sadly strumming at his lyre. He was humming a mournful tune that set her heart to aching.

“What is that melody?”

He looked up, startled for a moment as he realized it was her, “It’s nothing. Sometimes I just play notes and hum along.”

“It’s beautiful,” she watched him pick at the notes for several moments. Finally he stopped as he looked up at the sky and let out a heart wrenching sigh, “You must have really loved her.”

“More than life itself.”

“Can you tell me about her?”

It was like releasing a dam. For the next, however long, Orpheus told her everything about Eurydice, from her beauty, to the way her nose wrinkled when she saw something cute. When he was done he let her tell him about Peirithous and all the wonderful things about him.

“He wrote so many poems about me.”

She quoted the last one Peirithous had been working on.

“Paper doll, come try it on

Step out of that black chiffon

Here’s a dress of gold and blue

Sure was fun being good to you

This one we made just for Fall

And Winter runs a bit too small

This mint green is new for Spring

My love didn’t cost a thing

You’re like twenty-two girls in one

And none of them know what they’re runnin’ from

Was it just too far to fall?

For a little paper doll

Was it just too far to fall?

Cut the cord and pull some strings

And make yourself some angel wings

And if those angel wings don’t fly

Someone’s gonna paint you another sky”

As she beamed, Orpheus gave her a strained smile.

“What?”

“Uh, nothing. If you like it--.”

“No, what’s wrong?”

He frowned, “I would never have written that kind of song about my wife. That’s not how I express my love for her.”

Her throat felt tight as she choked out the words, “What kind of song did you write for your wife?”

He strummed a few chords then started into a song, “When I first saw you, I saw love

And the first time you touched me, I felt love

And after all this time

You’re still the one I love.

Looks like we made it

Look how far we’ve come, my baby

We mighta took the long way

We knew we’d get there someday.

They said, “I bet they’ll never make it”

But just look at us holding on

We’re still together still going strong.

You’re still the one I run to

The one that I belong to

You’re still the one I want for life

You’re still the one that I love

The only one I dream of

You’re still the one I kiss good night.”

His voice broke as he stopped singing, his strumming stopping soon after as he stared down at the bed cover.

Hearing the song, Persephone was painfully aware of how short Peirithous’ work fell of this man’s song. In comparison, Peirithous’ words choices were not as exciting. Not as vibrant. There were so many other words he could have chosen to nourish, but he’d taken the safe one. The one the average person would just drop without giving it a second thought. People who did not claim to be poets.

“Eurydice was my inspiration as well,” he told her, his voice weak like he was dying. “My support.”

“It was the same with me and Peirithous.”

Again Orpheus’ smile looked strained, “Are you sure he wrote that song about you?”

“Yes, why?”

‘Because I never would have written that about someone I liked.”

Her smile faltered as she considered the lyrics.

The day he had written the song he’d been a little short with her. Perhaps at the time his love had faltered, but she knew in the end it had regained its previous vigor. After all, he was the one who was with her in her final moments. And she knew if he’d thought of it, he would be down here in the underworld looking for her soul just like Orpheus.

Even as she tried to imagine it she found her mind coming up blank.

Death certainly did change a person. Made them doubt the living. Made them doubt themselves.

Oh, why did she have to die?

  


Don’t leave me here

Crushed under this weight

I see now the fear you obfuscate

The veil has finally torn

It’s clear now

How could I be so blind?

I let myself believe that you were something more

I only have myself to blame

____

In the morning, Persephone was back to her old self as she lightly hummed to herself while doing her hair.

“That is a beautiful melody,” commented Orpheus from across the room.

He’d hidden behind a dresser while she’d gotten cleaned up. Now he was sprawled out on the bed plucking absentmindedly at his lyre. If Eurydice had been there Persephone imagined he would have been playing his fingers through her hair.

“What’s it from?” inquired the bard.

“I don’t think it’s from anything. I just hum random tunes sometimes.”

He sat up, playing a few notes before perfectly mimicking the tune she had just been humming.

“Oh, that is beautiful.”

He smiled brightly, “You’re the one who made it up.”

“Yes, but you played it so well that it actually sounds like a song instead of some annoying distraction.”

“That’s not true. Here,” he motioned for her to come close, “I’ll teach you how to play it.”

“Oh, no, I couldn’t.”

“Couldn’t, or won’t?” he motioned more adamantly as she finally started to move. Putting the instrument in her lap he got behind her as he showed her where to put her hands and how to strum. Once he’d taught her how to play the song she’d been humming he taught her one of his own tunes.

After she’d played it a few times, words started to come to her mind as she sang them along with the melody.

When she stopped she noticed Orpheus staring at her.

“Sorry, I—I didn’t mean to ruin your song.”

“What are you talking about? That was amazing. You didn’t ruin anything.”

She didn’t know what to say to that. Peirithous always found it annoying when she tried to add music to his lines.

“Hey, why don’t you try this,” Orpheus played another tune. It reminded her of a summer breeze blowing through a field in the dying sunlight with the flowers waving in the breeze just before closing their blooms to sleep for the night.

When he started up the tune again she sang along with it, putting out the words that seemed to just bloom from her chest as naturally as light fell from the sun.

“You have an amazing talent,” stated Orpheus as he set down his lyre, “It’s…it’s a shame you weren’t able to use it in life.”

His voice broke with the prospect of the loss she had suffered. She found her own throat tighten as she realized how much fun it had been to put words to song and not have anyone stop her.

Then she recalled death’s admonition, “Live the life you weren’t able to above.”

“Could you teach me how to play more on the lyre?”

Orpheus smiled, “Of course.”

  


Fear was my enemy

Your serpent tongue my drug

Lulling me to sleep

I couldn’t see the knife.

Don’t play the martyr

We both know you lied

Misconceptions have led to my demise.


	8. Chapter 8

When Persephone wasn’t looking for Eurydice she was with Orpheus learning how to play.

It wasn’t until she got started that she realized how many songs had been in her heart.

At one point there were so many she found that the lyre wasn’t enough.

“There are other instruments. If the lyre doesn’t have the sound you need maybe you should see about learning one of them.”

That reminded her of the music room.

At the archway of the room she stopped, hesitating.

Was this actually what she wanted?

What she needed?

As if in answer the words to the latest song on her heart came to her

“I’m doin’ fine now, I’ve finally moved on.

It’s not so bad, I’m not that sad

I’m not surprised just how well I survived

I’m over the worst, and I feel so alive

I can’t complain, I’m free again.

Don’t think I’m lying around crying at night

There’s no need to worry, I’m really alright

I’ve never looked back, as a matter of fact.”

She didn’t hesitate further as she stepped into the music hall. There were all kinds of instruments there. Some that looked like lyres with their strings. Some that looked like a ram’s horn with their wide mouths and narrowed mouth pieces. But the instrument that really caught her eye was the largest in the room. It had clawed feet and a flat back with an open mouth made of black and white teeth.

At first she thought it might be a monster, but as she stepped forward it did not move. Running her hand along the back she found it was made of a smooth wood. At the mouth she pressed one of the teeth as it let out a sweet tune. Another tooth let out another sound that rang out at a different octave like the strings on a lyre. She played every note, hearing each sound and making a mental note in her mind about which key made what sound.

She didn’t know how long she sat there experimenting with the sound and memorizing each note. When she finally looked up the Figure was standing in the doorway leaned against the post.

She sprang up from the instrument, “I’m sorry. I—I’ll leave.”

Death raised their hand, making her pause, “It’s fine. I told you to find your passion.”

She smiled as she looked back at the instrument, “It’s beautiful.”

“It’s called a piano. I have yet to learn to play it myself, but you seem to have taken to it.”

Death stepped into the room, walking over to the piano as they pressed a random tooth on the instrument.

“Do you play any of these?” she motioned to the room.

Death considered each of the instruments before replying, “No. I always mean to, but have never found the time.”

She didn’t know why but she found herself laughing. And laughing, “You haven’t found the time? How? Don’t you have all eternity?”

As she looked at the still form of death her laugh cut off. Her body felt cold as she realized laughing at Death was not something someone in her position should ever do.

Instead of destroying her, or even chiding her, the Figure sat down at the piano as they motioned for her to do the same.

“I haven’t seen anyone play it in a while. Do you mind?”

She hesitated for a moment, then decided it was the least she could do when they were allowing her to use the instrument.

Sitting down, she started to play something simple. Then as she got more confident she started to play something more complex. At one point she even started to hum along as she forgot that Death was there. Soon she was putting words along with the melody.

“You almost had me fooled

Told me that I was nothing without you

Oh, but after everything you’ve done

I can thank you for how strong I have become.

Cause you brought the flames and you put me through hell

I had to learn how to fight for myself

And we both know all the truth I could tell

I’ll just say this is “I wish you farewell.”

I hope you’re somewhere praying

I hope your soul is changing

I hope you find your peace

Falling on your knees.

I’m proud of who I am

No more monsters, I can breathe again

And you said that I was done

Well, you were wrong and now the best is yet to come

Cause I can make it on my own

And I don’t need you, I found a strength I’ve never known

I’ll bring thunder, I’ll bring rain

When I’m finished, they won’t even know your name.”

It was rough and the tune was extremely simple with her limited knowledge but she found herself beaming when she came to the end a confidence she’d never known before filling her chest to overflowing.

“That was beautiful.”

She shook her head, “No, it’s a silly tune. And the lyrics…”

“They come from the heart. And the tune is good for a first time on this instrument. Nothing is perfect the first time you do it. It takes work and if you keep putting effort into it you’ll become better. But, Persephone, if you can’t even be nice to yourself with this simple melody, you don’t be able to get better. Why can’t you believe in yourself like you do others? People who don’t even deserve your attention and praise.”

The Figure was staring right at her. Even sitting that close she could not see past the shadows of their hood. But instead of feeling her heart shake with fear, she found her chest flutter with hesitant wing beats of pride.

Her mother had complimented her when she’d heard Persephone’s simple tunes. But Peirithous had never complimented her efforts. Any time she’d tried something he’d laugh and tell her it was good for a child’s effort. And she would believe him because he was the professional writer. Let herself believe she couldn’t do better.

Peirithous had been the clouds on a sunny day.

Hades was the moonlight revealing her path through the woods.

“If you would like to learn more I could get you some things. Some papers to write down the lyrics and notes.”

“That would be wonderful.”

They nodded before rising, “I’ll send the things to your room.”

As they started to leave she recalled Orpheus hiding in her room, “Oh uh, that’s not necessary. You can just give them to me.”

Death paused, looking back at her.

Could they read the panic in her eyes?

Did they know she was keeping secrets?

Her heart fluttered in her chest as she worried over what would happen to Orpheus if he were found.

Would they torture him by chaining him to a hill where vultures would pick at his liver that would grow back every day?

Would they make him push a rock up a hill that would be too steep so the rock always rolled back to the bottom just before reaching the top?

“Fine,” stated Death with a slight sigh to their voice, like one’s final breath, “I’ll give them directly to you.”

Behind them, one of the specters floated over with a pile of pages in its hands. On top of the pages a quill and a jar of ink was balanced. Death motioned to the piano as the specter floated over to place the papers and writing utensils on the piano bench,

“There are some books in there as well which will teach you how to read notes. That should help you with writing music for your songs.”

She thanked them as she took the objects before heading back to her room.

Orpheus wasn’t there.

She dropped what she was holding as panic gripped her chest as she quickly searched the room.

Not under the bed. Not in the dresser. Not under the desk.

“Orpheus. Orpheus.” She opened the door to her room as she hurried down the hall, checking each of the rooms as she passed.

Where could he have gone?

Had Death found him while she’d been out?

How long had she been playing?

It was so hard to tell how much time had passed in the castle.

No wonder the Figure kept that room of clocks. Sometimes you just needed to know what time it was.

She could hear the ticking in her mind, the beating clock sounding in sync with her panicked breathing.

Then she saw him.

He was hiding behind a pillar, his eyes fixed ahead on something that held his complete attention. She followed his gaze to a young woman that even in death was breathtaking. She knew right away it had to be Eurydice.

Sneaking over to Orpheus’ side she touched his shoulder. He startled then smiled when he saw it was her.

“It’s her,” he went back to staring at his wife.

She could see in his eyes a light she’d not seen since their first meeting. Hope. Eurydice was his life, the one that completed him.

More than anything now she knew she had to help them get back together.

But how?

Minthe. She might know some backdoor the two could escape through.

Before she could leave to look for the girl, a voice thundered, “You are not allowed here.”

If he could have Orpheus would have leapt out of his skin as he squeaked out the name, “Hades.”

Though her heart was pounding in her chest, she placed herself between the god of death and the bard, “Please don’t hurt him. He’s only here because he wants to see his wife again.”

“The living are not allowed here,” stated Death with a voice that rumbled like thunder at night.

“Can’t you make an exception? For love. He just wants a chance to take her back with him.”

“She is no longer part of the living.”

“But couldn’t you let her return with him, just this once. You are a god after all. Can’t you do whatever you want?”

Though she couldn’t see their features it seemed like Death flinched at her words.

She realized she might have said the wrong thing as she tried to backtrack, “Mercy. Just show them a little compassion. Life is so short and death can be so cruel and cold.”

The Figure’s shoulders dropped as if those words put a weight on them they were not ready to bear.

“Fine. Take her. But—one condition. I will have her follow you out, but you cannot look back. If you do you will lose her forever.”

Persephone smiled, but Orpheus looked like he was going to be sick.

“Now go,” the Figure’s voice thundered like an avalanche and Orpheus yelped before hurrying from the room.

“She will follow you,” called Hades, “just don’t look back until you have left my realm or she will be mine for the rest of time.”

As Orpheus ran, Persephone watched the shape of Eurydice follow silently. It seemed a simple task, don’t look back.

She smiled as she picture them reuniting in the light above. As she looked back at Death they seemed to have an extra dark air about them.

“Is something wrong?”

“He will fail.”

She frowned.

“He will look back and he will lose her and they will never be united again.”

She felt her heart drop, “How--?”

“I know how all stories end. I’ve already seen them all.”

“Why did you give him that rule if you knew he would fail it?”

“Bringing someone back has its price. His price was faith. Faith that they would be reunited. But he couldn’t believe it and so he will have to bear that for the rest of his life without her.”

Her heart felt heavy as her eyes dropped to the smooth marble floor.

“But even if he succeeded he would eventually lose her again. Life is just an endless cycle of trying to get back the person you lost.”

From the way they said the words it sounded to her like Death didn’t understand the living’s need to recapture those moments.

Though she wasn’t sure she could accurately explain it, she tried as she said, “You want the person back because you want that extra time with them. That’s what makes life so sweet. Thought you know death is the eventual end, in the meantime you father up all those moments together, all those memories like a bouquet of flowers that will comfort you at the end.”

Death was gazing off after the bard.

Could they see past the walls to where Orpheus was still making his journey out of Tartarus?

When would he fail? Would it be partway across the underworld? Would it be right before exiting to the world of the living?

“You know how all stories end? Did you know how mine would end?”

Death would not look at her.

“Could you,” she felt a rock the size of a boulder in her throat, “Could you have prevented it?”

“Death comes to all. It does not matter when it comes. Stopping it would only delay it. Eventually all find themselves down here.”

The tiles at her feet were arranged in a pattern of souls crying out in anguish. They matched her feelings as she felt her heart collapse in her chest.

Death did come to all. She just hadn’t expected it to come so soon for her.

  


If I had more time

Would I still want to spend it with you?


	9. Chapter 9

Persephone didn’t know how long she’d been in Death’s castle.

How long she had been away from the world of the living. Even visiting the clock room didn’t tell her exactly how many days had passed.

Minthe noticed when she let out a home sick sigh.

“What’s wrong?”

They were sitting in the music room as Persephone randomly played out a tune.

“Nothing.”

The nymph snorted, “You miss home.”

Persephone was surprised at her insight. Seeing how shocked she was, Minthe snorted again, “I know how all you humans get. Death is never enough for you. You always start to miss the things of the world above. Even though Hades went to all the trouble of making all these rooms.

The girl was right. Persephone should be so grateful. Hades had provided everything she needed. Nature. Art. Music.

But even with everything there was still one thing missing.

  


The night sky betrays me

Putting galaxies in my eyes with all their possibilities

And all I wanted was silence

  


“What do you miss about the world above?” Minthe leaned forward like Persephone was going to say something interesting.

She wasn’t sure if she had anything specific in mind, other than her mother. But as she thought things sprang to mind like they’d been waiting at the door of her mouth, ready to spring out as soon as she opened her lips, “The sunlight. I miss the heat on my face. The feeling of baking in its light. Like a warm hug straight from Apollo.”

“Creepy. Go on.”

“I miss the sound of running water. The sound of water rushing down the hillside, splashing as it dances across the rocks, ringing out like water sprite’s laughter.”

“They are always laughing. It’s annoying.”

“But right now what I miss the most is the taste of cherries. They were my favorite snack to eat while sitting out in the sunlight next to a river.”

Minthe clicked her tongue pityingly, “Those aren’t in season right now.”

Before she could ask her what season it was, the nymph rose from her seat, “I better go. My Lord is calling me,” She winked in a way that made Persephone blush before the nymph strutted from the room.

As she watched the girl’s hips sway in a little dance she recalled the feeling of having someone you wanted. To have them call your name and the feeling of being the only one in the world that mattered to them.

Her heart stopped as she realized that she could not remember Peirithous’ face.

She could still feel the sunlight on her skin. Still hear the babbling brook. Still recall the sweet taste of a ripe cherry on her tongue. But when she tried to remember his face she only had a vague image left in her mind.

Why was it so hard for her to recall his features?

Her heart ached as she realized one day she might not even remember his name. Like the ghosts of the castle, she would one day wander the halls without any memory of her life before.

Her eyes stung as she leaned forward, burying her face in her arms.

  


I don’t want to lose your face

To wake up one day and not remember what time erased

I don’t want to turn around

I’m not scared of what love gave me but what death took away

I don’t want to lose that feeling I used to get when you called my name

Who were you and where are you now?

Were you ever here at all?

A part of me I don’t want to ever lose

I wish I could close my eyes and see you

I wish the sky had your eyes and the sunset your lips

But I can’t even see them

I don’t want to lose your face

I don’t want to lose you

___

“I’m sorry.”

Persephone was walking down one of the vast halls of the castle when she heard the words behind her.

Turning she found the dark figure standing behind her. Standing in the vast whiteness of the hall they looked like a single black dash marking the passage of time.

“I can’t give you the sun,” continued Death, “and the closest river is the Styx. But I hope this helps.”

They lifted their hands. That’s when she noticed they were carrying a bowl. A bowl full of cherries.

She gasped as she moved closer, hesitantly reaching out.

Was this a trick? A part of the game that Minthe said Death liked to play. Were the cherries actually eyeballs glamoured to look like the fruit? As soon as she bit into them she’d find the truth.

“I though these weren’t in season.”

“Not in Minthe’s timeline.”

She let her hands drop to her sides as she stared at the shadows cast by the hood, “Minthe’s timeline.”

The figure shifted back from her as if realizing they’d said something they shouldn’t have. Their gaze shifted to the side as if they were looking into another world that only they could see.

“Death is constant.”

She nodded having heard something about that.

“Because of that people can enter the world of the dead from any time. Some enter from a time before ours; others can enter from a time after ours. The first time I met Heracles was when she came to take Cerberus, but she had known me for years and so knew all she had to do was ask to take them.”

Her mouth gaped for a moment as there were many things in that sentence that she found herself wondering about. The first one she latched onto was, “Did you say Heracles was a woman?”

“Of course Heracles is a woman. That was one of the reasons I lent her Cerberus. Women should support women as much as possible.”

Seeing Persephone was still having a hard time picturing the stories of Heracles with a woman, Hades said, “You think if a man had been driven insane and killed his family they would have given him as many as ten trials? It is only because of all Heracles did before then that she received such a light punishment.”

Persephone frowned, unsure how 12 trials could be considered light.

Seeing her expression, Hades explained, “Look at all the stories of women in distress. The men never get punished. Even in stories of rape the women are the ones turned to birds and trees. For what reason? Their protection. Bull shit.

“Why not strike down the man where he stands as a warning to future men of the consequences for such an action? But no, if the gods did that they would have to hold Zeus accountable for all acts against women.”

Persephone grew tense as the shadows around them seemed to be drawn into Hades, making them darker as their voice rumbled like the ocean waves during a storm.

To change the subject, she asked, “If time passes differently in death how much time has passed for me?”

Hades took in a breath, letting it out slowly as the shadows around them dissipated, “Time passes differently for the dead. It can seem like years, but only be a few days.”

That didn’t answer her question at all.

“Why am I here? Will I become like them?” she motioned to a wraith floating past.

Hades watched the spirit till it was gone, like they were trying to postpone their answer, “Because dead enter from all timelines I can, in a way, see the future. From the dead I learn the history and terms of the time they died in. They said death and taxes are the only constants in life. There is more truth to that than they realize. Death is something everyone experiences at all times. And death is timeless. It can happen at any moment.”

It felt as if the words were swirling in her minds, like bubbles on the wind, they popped as soon as she tried to hold them in her hands.

Death reached up, rubbing at the back of their head, “It’s a little complicated. Timey wimy and all that. But to me, everyone is at all times both death and alive. Those I watch over are both here and not here at all times.”

Her head hurt as she tried to understand what they were saying, “You know everyone who has ever lived, both now and in the future?” they nodded, “How they will die even?”

“Yes.”

She thought of her own death, her heart aching at the memory, “Doesn’t that make it confusing?”

“No.”

“If you know how they are going to die can’t you prevent it?”

“Why? What would be the point? They are already dead in one time.”

“But they are also alive. And you could help them live longer.”

“What does it matter how soon they die? Eventually they will die. There is no point in postponing that.”

Yes, of course. Even if she could come back to life it wouldn’t change anything. She might be able to see her mother for a little longer, might get to talk with Peirithous one last time, but eventually she would have to leave again. And it wasn’t like being alive again would change anything for her.

Reaching out she took the bowl of cherries as she headed back to her room.

  


Though I stand in a field I am caged

Barred in by your desires for me

Closing me in

Trapping me

Changing me into the person you want me to be

The person you believe me to be

I can’t breathe

Pressed in on every side with no room to move

No room to soar the sky above

I could fly if not for the chains around my neck

If I flap my wings for a moment I am free of the earth

Just high enough to feel the air beneath my wings before I am pulled down again

Pulled back to earth where I am crushed under your boot

Put in my place

Under your rule

Where you say I belong

But I belong among the clouds.

____

“Boy, you’re such a lost cause

Now your name is crossed off

How you gonna fix this?

You can’t even fix yourself

I don’t wanna break your thread and needle

Tryna stitch you, but I can’t, I refuse

Shouldn’t love you, but I couldn’t help it

Had a feeling that you never felt it

I always knew that you were too damn selfish

Don’t know why I looked the other way

I wanted you to change

I bet you thought you gave me real love

All you ever wanna do is lie

Why you always such a Gemini?

Who you tryna run from

Me or all your problems?

You know you will never solve ‘em

You don’t even know yourself

I’m not responsible

For your self-made obstacles

Put my heart in the hospital,

I always knew that you were too damn selfish.”

Persephone finished the song as she looked at the Figure, waiting for their reaction.

“It was…beautiful.”

She could tell from their rumbling tones that they were hesitant, “What?”

“It’s just…why are all your poems and songs about romance? Why can’t they be about things like a beautiful sunset, an especially moving memory, or a cute animal?”

Her expression was blank as she stared at them.

Seeing her confusion, Death directed her to follow them as they led her out of the room. They took her down the hall to a room with high ceilings to accommodate the shelves that lined every wall. A walkway cut through half the shelves, with a staircase leading up to a second floor of shelves. There was a sitting area in the center of all of this. Death had her wait there as they headed off to a section of shelves filled with scrolls. Near it another shelf was filled with leather bound boxes.

Getting up she headed over to one of these shelves as she slid off the box. Inside she found parchment paper which was bound up in the box. The parchment was stacked up on top of each other, looking to be sewn into the leather casing.

“It’s a book,” explained Death, “it’s how people store their scrolls in the future.”

They looked to have found what they wanted as they took a seat. She took her own seat as the god rolled out the scroll.

They started to read aloud in a language she’d heard in the marketplace. Seeing her face, they let out a simple, “Oh right,” then said again, this time in Greek, “He visits my town once a year. He fills my mouth with kisses and nectar. I spend all my money on him.’ ‘Who, girl, your man?’ ‘No. A mango.’” They set down the scroll as they looked at her as if expecting her to discuss the piece.

She laughed, “That was an unexpected ending. Did you write it?”

“No. It was written by Amir Khusrow.

“As a Greek you know there are several forms of love. Friendship. Family. The love and appreciation for beautiful things. You don’t just have to write about love for some man.”

She frowned as she instinctively replied, “Peirithous is not just some man. The only reason you care that I write about love is because you have never experienced it yourself. You are jealous.”

She did not know how she could be so brave in front of Death. Especially with all that Minthe had told her. But anger burned away any fear she might have felt as she stormed out of the room.

Her eyes stung as she thought of poor Orpheus and Eurydice. If Hades had known what love felt like they would have been more kind to the tragic couple. They would have given them a better chance to reunite. But now they’d never have the chance.

And she would never again be able to share with Peirithous just how much she cared for him.

Death truly was the cruelest of foes.

___

Persephone wasn’t sure when Minthe started hanging out in her room, but she didn’t mind the company. More confusing to her was the reason the girl hung around her.

Persephone had not had many friends in life, having little to entice people to stick around. But when one did not have very many options one could not be that picky in choosing their company.

“You are the only one with any life in you,” stated Minthe one day as she flipped through one of those things Death had called a book. This one was not bound in leather but sported a glossy kind of parchment that had pictures of people on it, “That includes Hades.”

She set down the book as she stared at Persephone intently. The girl started to feel self-conscious as she looked away.

“Play me something.”

“What?”

“Play me one of your songs,” she motioned to the pad of paper Persephone was currently writing on.

The Figure had brought her score sheets to write down her notes and lyrics. She had already filled three, but as Minthe asked her to play them she realized, “I’m not ready to perform in front of anyone.”

Her eyes dropped to the bed cover as she quietly admitted, “I don’t think I ever will be.”

Minthe frowned, “You really do lack self-confidence. But that’s not even true. I have seen you singing to Death.”

Persephone felt her face flush at the memory, “A lot of time they sneak in while I’m practicing. I don’t even notice they are there till I hear them complimenting me.”

The nymph’s frown deepened, “You realize this is just part of their game. Building up your confidence in order to get it as high as possible before making you fall back down to earth.”

Falling.

Falling.

Her body shivered at the memory. At the feeling of nothing as she’d hung between heaven and earth. Was that how it had felt for Icarus, hanging there between heaven and hell before he had come crashing down to earth? Down to the dark and the shadows. Down to death.

“I’m bored,” Minthe said this as if it was her way of saying goodbye before leaving the room.

Left alone, Persephone heard herself let out a pitiable sigh. Her eyes dropped to all the pieces she’d written . All the scores Death had claimed were beautiful. Had said were musical works of art.

Like always she’d let a smooth tongued devil fool her. She wasn’t anything special. She never had been and she never would be. Even in death.

  


The ocean waves called to me

Come swim, it’s safe here

And like a fool I jumped in feet first.

Now I’m sinking

Waves grabbing at my arms and legs

Pulling me down

Down with no bottom in sight

Down where I’ll be lost forever

My lungs burn, chest aches

As I sink deeper and deeper into the dark.

I never should have trusted you.

  


Grabbing the closest page she ripped it in two.

Why had she let herself believe she could actually write?

Because it gave her pleasure to put words on a page. To combine the melodies together into a sweet tune.

But it was all a cruel joke.

And she was the fool who had ignored the sound of fate’s laughter. 


	10. Chapter 10

The next day she was wandering the halls of the palace looking for some inspiration when she heard a loud rumbling sound.

It sounded like thunder but that didn’t make any sense. They were too deep beneath the earth to hear the rumblings of the sky. Too far from Olympus to hear Zeus as he showed off. Unless…was the king of the dogs visiting the underworld?

Though her heart was in her throat she really wanted to know what the god of thunder looked like. She had heard tale of how many women he had seduced and she wondered what it was about him that made so many women fall for him.

Was he actually super handsome?

Or was he one of those men that had a disarming smile?

A charismatic personality that put ones emotions at ease and body in bed?

The sound led her to the courtyard out front. More loud booms and another sound like thunder. From out of the sky she watched as a dark shape fell to the ground, the ground beneath her feet shivering at the impact as the thunder let out a bark.

It was Cerberus, guard dog of Hades. The canine was wagging their tail as they crouched down in an excited pose, their eyes fixed in front of them.

She followed the dog’s gaze, finding the cloaked figured to be holding a large ball aloft. The ball was as large as a watermelon and bounced against the stone courtyard when thrown. As it flew through the air the dog gave chase, letting out another bark that sent the air to vibrating.

As soon as one of the heads had caught the ball they stopped where they were, putting their butt in the air as their tail batted the sky. The ball let out a great whine as the dog started to chew on it.

“Oh, come on, Cerberus, we’ve gone over this,” Hade’s voice was soft, playful as they instructed their dog, “You are supposed to bring it back.”

When the dog didn’t move, Death walked to the side where they picked up a stuffed crocodile as large as a real one. Waving it around got the dog’s attention again.

Cerberus let out an excited rumble then bounded at Hades. If the dog had charged at her like that, Persephone would have run the other way, but Hades stood their ground as they waved the crocodile in the air like a flag.

The dog grabbed the tail, wrenching at it, but to Persephone’s surprise, Hades was strong as they kept a firm hold of the toy, as Cerberus threw their head back and forth as they tried to pull it free.

She heard Cerberus growl playfully and was surprised when she heard a second growl as Hades let out their own playful growl. She even heard Death laugh as they started to shake the crocodile opposite of the dog.

Though on their own Cerberus and Hades scared her, together she found herself thinking them cute.

Around their staff, around the dead, they were Hades, Lord of the Underworld. But with their dog, Hades was not a king. They were not a ruler. They were just—“Like us,” mused Persephone as she recalled playing similarly with a stray dog she’d once met.

What did that feel like? To find someone you could just be yourself with. Someone you didn’t feel the need to put on airs for. Someone you could just relax around and not feel like you’d be judged for making mistakes.

As if hearing the question of her heart, Hades turned, the darkness under their hood fixing on her. As soon as their attention was away from the toy, Cerberus jerked the toy to the side, pulling it free as they proceeded to sit down and chew on the stuffed animal eyes.

“Taking a breaking from writing?” inquired Hades. They sounded genuinely interested.

Usually she would have avoided the interaction with Death. Would have turned the other way. Any other time she saw them in the halls she did. But she hadn’t seen Death in a while. Minthe had told her they had been busy dealing with dead turmoil. Were they taking a break from all that now? Unwinding with their dog. The only one in the palace who never asked anything of them other than a nice scratch behind the ears and a game of fetch.

“Yeah,” she felt herself smile. It was also genuine as she watched Cerberus wag their tail back and forth.

Even standing several feet away from the dog she could feel the breeze coming off their tail.

While two of the heads chewed on the crocodile, one stared at her while panting heavily. The dog had both of its ears flopped down, giving it a puppy dog look. It even let out a little whine as if inviting her to come closer to pet it.

“Does…does each of the heads have their own name, or does Cerberus apply to the whole dog?”

Hades looked back at the dog, “No one usually asks. But yes, they have separate names.” They pointed to the dog chewing on the crocodile’s eyes. It had both its ears pointed straight up, “That’s Ker,” then at the head in the middle, which had one ear up and the other flopped down, “Bere,” then to the puppy dog head with both ears flopped down, “And Throu. But I usually say them together so everyone hears it as Cerberus.”

She laughed, “They are cute.”

All the stories she’d heard about the dog painted it in this fearsome light, but seeing it up close she realized it was just a big ‘ole puppy, “Can I pet them?”

Hades motioned for her to go ahead as she stepped closer. The other two heads were occupied with the chew toy so only the puppy one was looking at her. He leaned down when she came close so she could pat the top of his head. The dog wasn’t fuzzy, but had scales like a snake. She recalled a story mentioning the dog’s parents having scales.

It wasn’t slimy like she’d expected from how shiny it was. As she scratched at the third head it started to twist itself around so she was petting its chin as the rest of the body stayed upright.

“He’s slinky like a snake.”

Hades chuckled, the sound like rocks tumbling down a hillside, “You should have seen them as a puppy. They were as slippery as an eel and I always ended up carrying them like a little girl with a large cat.”

She found herself laughing at the mental image, immediately stopping herself as she said, “It’s hard to see them as small enough to carry.”

“They were for a short time, but yes, once upon a time I could carry them.”

“What breed are they?” Most people in artwork pictured the dog as this big butch dog, like a rottweiler, or a Doberman, but the actual Cerberus looked like a fluffy puppy, minus the fluff.

“In the future the closest breed name to their look is a Pom-Chi. Pomeranian-Chihuahua. They are smart, energetic, and once they get a hold of something they are very focused.”

She looked past the dog to a large pile of stuffing and string. A former chew toy she imagined. There were also bits of stone rubble sitting next to half a marble pillar. Another toy the dog had destroyed.

“You don’t want to get on their ferocious side.”

She recalled how Cerberus had looked when playing, pulling at the chew toy and growling. Though their tail had been wagging playfully she could imagine what it might look like tearing an unfortunate soul limb from limb.

She felt sick as her stomach churned.

“But they are a big old softie,” stated Hades as they came over to pet their dog. The dog completely forgot the toy as they rolled over to allow Hades to pet their belly. “A big softie with a big problem.”

The king of the underworld let out such a sad sigh she felt her heart ache in sympathy.

Before she could stop herself she’d asked, “What’s wrong?”

“He’s been having trouble getting to sleep at night. They call it insomnia.”

She looked closer at the dog, noting the droopiness to their eyes. As Hades petted them their heads flopped to the ground like the animal was too tired to keep them upright.

“Oh, poor baby.”

“I was thinking—could you compose a song to help lull this beast to sleep?”

“Don’t you have plenty of people down here with that ability?”

She thought of Orpheus and how Hades had said all the dead were there. Which would include the musician who she had only just met a short time ago.

“Yes. Tons. I have all the artists who will ever life, but I don’t want them. I want you for this job.”

She felt her face flush as it felt like Hade’s gaze was fixed on her. She averted her gaze, “I don’t think I’m up for it.”

“Please, Persephone, do it for them,” Hades scrunched the sides of Ker’s head as they turned the dog’s face to look at her. The dog looked to be pouting, playing along with pulling at her heart strings.

She let out a long sigh, knowing she had been defeated, “Fine.”

Hades let go as Ker dropped his head back to the ground, “Thank you. You won’t regret this. I will owe you one.”

Cerberus wagged their tail as if adding their affirmation.

She smiled.

____

Persephone didn’t know where to start.

What did one write for a dog to help them sleep?

A lullaby seemed like an obvious answer. But would it work for an animal?

She tried out a few tunes. Nothing seemed to speak to her. Nothing quite captured what she thought she needed for the occasion.

Should she think like a dog?

What did dogs even find peaceful?

Probably something that reminded them of rolling hillsides and pristine blue skies. Of running through valleys and leaping over snow banks. Of birds singing and rabbits running.

As she pictured her memories of the world above a tune started to form in her mind. Pulling out a sheet she started to scribble down various notes.

When she was done she took her lyre and sheet of music and headed to the courtyard where Cerberus often hung out.

One of the marble pillars had been knocked over, leaving a kind of seat where the pedestal still stood. She sat on it as she rested the lyre on her knee.

She started to play the song about rolling hills and laughing brooks. The dog listened, their eyes remaining droopy while their head remained upright. Though the tune was soft it did not lull them to sleep. At the end the dog let out a happy bark as they wagged their tail, hurrying over to her as they licked her, once from each head, as if in thanks.

She laughed, pushing the dog back, “You are very welcome.”

The dog sat back down, looking at her intently as if waiting for her to play another piece.

“Okay, I didn’t write this one with you in mind, but since you are begging so nicely for an encore...”

She smiled to herself, thinking it silly that she was talking with a dog. But no matter how silly, it was nice to have an audience. She started to play.

“Hold on to love, that is what I do

Now that I’ve found you

And from above, everything’s stinking

They’re not around you

And in the night I could be helpless

I could be lonely, sleeping without you

And in the day, everything’s’ complex

There’s nothing simple when I’m not around you

And I miss you, when you’re done

That is what I do, babe

And it’s going to carry on

That is what I knew, baby

Hold on to my hands

I feel I’m sinking, sinking without you.”

She heard a light snoring. A soft breathing. But it was not from the dog.

Cerberus was still staring at her, panting heavily as they lay on the ground. Snuggled into the dog’s side the source of the snoring turned out to be Death. She did not know when they had snuck into the room, but there they were, softly breathing as they lay tucked into the dog’s side.

Patting the dog on the nose, she gave them a quiet goodbye before leaving the courtyard.

The next day she tried another tune on the dog. When that didn’t work she sang one of her other pieces for the dog. Again the dog was wide awake by the end.

“Would you like to hear another song?”

A bark of affirmation.

“I hope they are not bothering you.”

She turned as Hades came into the courtyard. The dog bounded over to their owner as Hades was almost bowled over with the animal’s enthusiasm.

“Okay, Cerberus, down.”

The dog sat as Hades started to pet the dog’s chest.

“I was just playing them some of my songs.”

“I heard some of it coming down the hall. It sounded beautiful.”

She felt her face flush at the compliment, knowing it was undeserved. She was no singer and she was nowhere near as good a lyricist as Peirithous.

“Would you play something for me?” Hades moved over to take a seat in front of her. Cerberus snuggled into the god of Death so that Hades had their shoulders lifted up high as the dog tucked two of their heads under Hade’s arms.

The sight looked awkward and uncomfortable but Hades seemed nonplussed by it like this was a common position for them. Seeing that they were both ready to hear another song she licked her lips, feeling self-conscious as she nervously plucked at the stringed instrument.

“This is really rough. I’m still working out the way I want it to sound so…just know that.”

At first she was cautious, unsure, as she second guessed each word she sang, each note she played. But as time went on she forgot the audience was there as she lost herself in the music. By the time she was done she was smiling as she thought to herself, “It wasn’t that bad.”

Turning to get confirmation she was surprised to find both Death and their dog sound asleep. They both looked so peaceful. Cute even.

As she quietly padded towards the exit, she paused for a moment to look back. Seeing them she realized she had only seen Death sleeping twice. That one time in her room and the time when they had snuck in to cuddle with Cerberus. Other than that Hades was always awake, no matter the time of day, working, accepting new dead into the underworld as they came in at all hours of the day.

If anyone had the insomnia it was more likely to be the god of Death.

She thought to confront Hades on this discrepancy the next time she saw them. But the next time she saw Hades they were rubbing Cerberus’ heads while making a soothing sound. The dog was lying on their side, looking utterly pathetic as they let out a pitiful whine.

She hurried over, “Is everything alright?”

Hades shook their head, “Cerberus ate one of their toys and they’ve been throwing up pieces of it for the last hour.”

She came to their side as she joined Hade’s in petting the dog’s head.

“Poor baby.”

The head in the middle was licking its lips over and over like it smelled something delicious. Noticing this, Hades instructed Persephone to move back.

As she did the head threw up, the bile white and foamy and filled with chunks of rock.

“Oh, Cerberus,” went Hades comfortingly, “Why do you keep eating your toys?”

“I just finished a song for them. Should I play it?”

Hades nodded.

She strummed her lyre before starting into the song. But no matter how beautiful the melody, Cerberus continued to lie there dejectedly as Hades petted their side.

A spirit floated over, carrying a serving plate sized piece of dried meat.

“What’s that?”

“A treat,” answered Hades as they set the treat down in front of Cerberus, “I usually give them a treat at this time.”

The dog didn’t react. Didn’t even try to sniff at the food.

Hades shook their head, “You can tell they are miserable if they don’t even want their treat,” they let out a dejected sigh, sounding as miserable as their dog.

Seeing Hades with their dog was like meeting an entirely different person from the one that Minthe had told her about. With Cerberus, Hades was not the king of the underworld; they were just a worried dog owner.

Was that why Hades loved Cerberus so much? Because with them nothing more was expected of them. Not judgments. Not favors. Just pets and the occasional treat.

“How did you become the king of the underworld?”

Hades didn’t look at her as they continued to keep their attention on the dog, “You don’t know the story?”

‘No. I know it. You were the first born of Kronos. Your mother hid Zeus away before your father could eat him. Then Zeus killed him, freeing all his siblings Kronos had eaten before him. You were the last one out. Then together you worked with your siblings to defeat your father. After that Zeus took the sky, Poseidon the sea, and you the underworld. But wasn’t there somewhere else you could have ruled? Somewhere above ground. Technically you are older than Zeus, though he might have been out longer. Why didn’t you get first pick to rule?”

When they didn’t answer she wondered if she hadn’t offended them. At the time Hades might have seen the underworld as a nice place. Adding the dead to it might have made it the gloomy place it was now. Perhaps before then it had been a beautiful place.

“My brothers are very proud. I could tell it would cause problems if one of them got the underworld. I let them pick first and I took what was left. We’d already been fighting for ten years. I didn’t want any more turmoil.”

Her heart stung at the ache she heard in Hade’s voice.

What must have it been like to fight with one’s own family for so long? And then to be banished to this terribly dark place.

“The underworld isn’t all that bad,” stated Hades quietly, “You’ve only seen the castle, but there are some beautiful places down here. The sun may not shine here, but in places, if you look up, it is bright like the night sky. There are glowing mushrooms and mosses that cover stalactites. There are glowing rivers that remind me of the aurora borealis. There are lakes with fish as white as snow. There is beauty even here in the land of the dead. You just have to look for it.”

“I would like to see those things.”

She was surprised by how eager she sounded. It was probably because she just wanted to get out of the castle with all its reminders that she was dead.

Hades finally looked in her direction, their voice sounding hopeful as they inquired, “Really?”

She nodded, “You could show--.”

Hades quickly turned away, “I have too much work to do. If you ask Minthe I’m sure she’d be glad to give you a tour.”

Things went quiet then, with the only sound being the gurgling of Cerberus’s stomach.

She left a short time later. Hades probably didn’t even notice her leave. To them she was nothing more than another spirit floating through the halls.


	11. Chapter 11

Cerberus was back to their usual vigor the next morning. They barked on seeing her before rushing over, almost knocking her over as they nuzzled close to her.

“Glad to see you’re feeling better. Did you get enough sleep?”

She pushed the dog back so she could see their faces. Though they looked energetic from the way their tail flew, their eyes were still droopy like they were just about to doze off. Looking closer, she realized this was just how the dog’s eyes were made. In fact, now that she thought about it, there had been times when she’d passed the courtyard and spotted the dog napping.

But of course she knew now the insomnia thing had just been an excuse. But was it one just borne from convenience, or from experience? Was the dog of death the one with insomnia, or the god themselves?

She found Hades standing on a balcony overlooking the underworld. Their hands were clasped behind their back. They struck an imposing figure as they stood studying the horizon.

“Why did you lie to me?”

Slowly they turned their head to look back at her.

“Cerberus isn’t the one with insomnia. Why did you tell me they were?”

“I wanted to give you a chance to get comfortable playing in front of someone else.”

It seemed a strange thing for the king of the underworld to want for her, but she had to admit it had helped. Even though they couldn’t actually give her any feedback for her songs, just playing in front of Cerberus had made her less self-conscious about her work.

“You are the one that never sleeps. I don’t know if you actually need it, but you do need a vacation.”

“Like ‘Death takes a holiday?’”

They seemed to be referencing something, but she didn’t know what.

They turned back to face the view.

“I heard one of the reasons for insomnia is stress. Every time I’ve seen you you’ve been working. When was the last time you took a break?”

Hades let out a sigh that answered her question before they answered verbally, “From the moment I was born I’ve been in charge of the underworld. I haven’t had a vacation since I left my father’s stomach.”

“I get you have a lot of responsibility, but even Zeus has taken breaks.”

She could tell from the way Hade’s shoulders tensed that they did not appreciate the mention of their brother.

“It doesn’t’ matter what Zeus has done, I have to work harder than him. If I mess up lives could be ruined. Zeus and Poseidon might make mistakes left and right, have affairs all over the place, but if I make one mistake people are going to talk about it and have opinions and I’ll never hear the end of it.”

“I never imagined Hades would have insecurities. You are very hard on yourself. Why do you hold yourself to such a high standard?”

“I have to be hard on myself. Have to be the best. They could use one mistake I make as an excuse to take everything I have, saying I can’t handle it.

“There is a Norse myth about a conquering warrior with two younger brothers. She fought alongside her father, helping him conquer vast lands, but when her father wanted to stop fighting he put her away and she was forgotten. With her out of the way her brothers became the stars of the stories. For a time, at least, I am considered a part of the big three, but that could all change in a moment.”

She noticed Hades squeeze their hands tighter behind their back, their voice having a strain to it as they admitted, “No one respects me. They all try to trick me into releasing their loves ones, or try to sneak in to steal my things.”

“People have tried to steal from Zeus and Poseidon and they have paid the price.”

“Yes. But if they succeeded against me, everyone would think I can be pushed around.”

“People do fear you, Hades,” she started to move closer, to touch their shoulder, but stopped herself just before making contact.

Was it right to touch the god of death? Would it do something to her?

She was already dead. What more could happen to her?

“I’d rather they revere me like Zeus and Poseidon.”

She didn’t care what happened to her as she heard the break in death’s voice. Touching Hades shoulder, she squeezed.

“I like you a lot better than Zeus or Poseidon.”

Hades let out a chuckle, a sound of a bucket falling down a well, “Thank you.” A pause then, “Let’s do it. Let’s go above to get some fresh air.”

She stared at them, unsure she’d heard them right, “You want me to go with you? I thought…but I’m dead.”

“And I’ll be accompanying you. There should be no problems, unless you plan on trying to escape.”

She shook her head.

“Then I wouldn’t mind your company.”

She should come up with an excuse. This was probably one of those social situations where you were supposed to turn down the offer. It was just made to be polite, not actually serious.

Then she recalled just how much she missed the feeling of the sun on her face. Of the grass beneath her feet and she decided to risk it in spite of any possible social faux pas.

“Alright. Let’s go.”

___

Persephone closed her eyes, letting her senses take it all in a little at a time. The heat of the sun on her face. A deep breath that chilled her lungs with the air’s freshness. The soft grass brushing against her bare feet.

When she opened her eyes Hades was looking at her.

She felt her face flush.

“Is something wrong?”

“No. I just haven’t been up here in a while.”

“That’s terrible.”

“I’d forgotten what things people enjoy about it.”

“Then I’ll help remind you.”

She instructed them to lie down as they lay together on the grass, letting the sun warm their skin. When they’d had enough of that she instructed them to roll as they started tumbling down the hillside together.

She laughed the whole way down, then let out whoop at the bottom as she jumped to her feet.

“I haven’t done that in a long time.

Hades let out a groan as they sat up, “I can understand why. Were you trying to kill me?”

She laughed, “Of course not.”

Reaching down she took their hand to help them up. She expected a skeleton, but what she saw was a slender hand with long fingers. Where their fingernails should have been there were black obsidian shields. She had once seen a stone worker with nails like that. He’d smashed his fingers and the nail had gone black. But these nails were darker and shimmered in the light like they were made of obsidian.

As soon as they were up, Hades pulled their hand back, letting the sleeve of their cloak cover their hands. Persephone realized she’d been staring as she felt her face heat with embarrassment.

Before she could apologize, Hades asked, “What else do the living do?”

She thought back to all the things she’d done before. Helping her mother in the garden. Listening to Peirithous practice his poems. Watching the birds fly through the air and stopping to listen to their songs.

Her smile faltered as she recalled her last day out with Peirithous. Before the Cliffside, they had stopped in a clearing as he’d wanted to capture the words for the wind blowing through the trees. A bird had been singing a lovely song, but Peirithous couldn’t concentrate. He’d thrown a rock at it to shoo it away, but the bird had been hit. She recalled crying out in anguish as she watched its body hit the ground limply.

Peirithous had been too stunned to react as she reached the bird first. It twitched, holding onto life, but it was obvious it was not going to survive. Peirithous came over, also observing the birds waxing life force.

“It wasn’t—I didn’t mean to hit it,” he sounded so helpless before his tone went dark, “It shouldn’t have been there singing. It should have flown away when I threw the rock.”

“We should put it out of its misery.”

“Go ahead.”

Her heart winced at the idea of ending a life, but the alternative seemed crueler. To just let the bird suffer a slow death. Once she had ended its suffering she started to move the body to a patch of dirt where she planned to bury it.

‘Wait,” instructed Peirithous, “Leave it. This is inspiring me.”

When he was done she started to dig a hole as Peirithous told her she was being silly, “Just leave it for the wild animals.”

  


You never say you’re sorry

You always blame them

Always blame me

But you never say you’re sorry

‘cause it’s never your fault

Why was I so blind?

  


“Persephone?”

Hades was looking at her as she came out of the memory.

“Sorry. Did you say something?”

“What else do you do up here?”

She looked away for a moment, letting the emotions from all those days ago fade before turning back with a smile, “Picnics. Food always tastes better in the open air.”

Hades produced a basket of food as they moved to set things up under a tree. While they did that she picked flowers, winding them together into a flower crown. When Hades turned to tell her the food was ready she placed it on their head.

She smiled.

“That looks really nice on you.”

Hades reached up, hesitantly touching at the crown. It was then she realized she’d done something wrong.

What had possessed her to think it would be alright to put a flower crown on the king of the dead? She’d become too relaxed with them.

“Thank you” their reply sounded bashful. She suppressed a smile as the word “cute” came to mind again.

What was wrong with her?

The food was delicious as she forgot for a moment that this wasn’t something normal, a date with death. She even forgot that she was dead.

“This is a strange place to find you and an even stranger sight.”

A man with a gold helmet with wings on its side landed beside their picnic area. The man gave them a quick look over, his eyes lingering on Persephone for a moment, as if she was an even stranger sight to him than the god of death in a flower crown.

“Hermes,” went Hades as if the man’s presence was enough to annoy them, “What do you want?”

“I want to extend an invitation to you from Zeus. He’s throwing a party today and wants you to attend. Do you want me to deliver the usual excuse?”

Hades nodded, “Yes.”

“Wait,” both the god of death and the messenger of the gods looked at her, “Are you not going?”

“No.”

“But…you should go. You put so much pressure on yourself, it would be good for you to go out and have a fun day.”

“Going to one of Zeus’ parties is not what I would call fun.”

She frowned as she considered his words. It would be best not to press the issue, they were a god and she was a human. A dead human. But after what Hades had told her about their relationship with their siblings, going to Olympus might be good for them. Might give them a chance to confront their sibling and let them know how they felt.

“I’ll go,” started Hades, which looked to surprise Hermes as he looked like he would fall over, “If you promise to play there.”

Now Persephone dipped before catching herself with her hand, “Wait what? No. I can’t.”

“You can’t play music to a dog forever. You need a real audience. I won’t force you, but if you want me to do to this, you have to promise me you will play for them.”

She felt her heart stop at the mere idea. Her head spun and she felt like she was already there, standing in front of the gods.

Black spots floated across her vision and she felt like her stomach was boiling a pot of water.

“I am not going to play for the gods. They will strike me down.”

“One, you are already dead so they can’t’ really do anything more to you. Plus if they try I will stop them. But I know you are good and you will see that when you see them reacting positivity to your songs.”

She pressed her lips together, unsure of how to respond.

Could she actually turn down the god of death?

Before she could fully consider all the repercussions she nodded as Hades turned to Hermes, “Tell Zeus we will be there.”

“WE?!”

Hades nodded as they turned to Persephone, “I want you to experience things you didn’t in life and this would be one of those things. Even if I find nothing enjoyable there, there might be something there to inspire you.”

Hades touched her arm as she started to panic again, “I’m not going to really make you do it if you don’t feel comfortable. I don’t want to scare you off the idea before you’ve even built up enough courage. But I know you will succeed if you try.”

She tried to laugh but it came out strained.”

“Alright,” went Hermes slowly, “I’ll let Zeus know that you…two, are coming.” He cast one final look at Persephone as if he’d never seen a human woman before that moment. After that he flew off.

Persephone looked back at Hades, “Are they really going to allow me on Olympus?” her stomach clenched at the thought of what they might do to a mortal.

“You are my guest,” stated Hades in a tone like crushing rocks, “if anyone has a problem with that they can answer to me.”

“I don’t want to cause you any trouble with your family.”

“To Tartarus with them.”

She smiled, finding her heart flutter at the resolve in the god’s voice. Not even Peirithous had stood up for her so confidently.

“Alright. If you are fine with it then I will go.”

“Good.”

She couldn’t see it, but she actually thought she heard a smile in Hade’s voice.

Her heart actually stopped at the thought.

Was it fear?

Something else?

But what else could it be?

____

Hades had filled her room with various outfits and accessories for her to pick from.

Peirithous would have just picked her outfit for her to ensure she didn’t “embarrass” him. Pick out everything down to her shoes like she was his doll.

Her heart clenched as she recalled the song she’d sung for Orpheus. The one Peirithous had written about her. About her being his doll and how Orpheus had reacted. Now she saw what he did. Not so romantic to be someone’s play thing.

  


Today I fell for you again

I thought you were my friend

You’re in my heart

So how could you walk away like that?

Now I stand here alone with my fears

I don’t know where to go

When you are not here

If you leave me what am I to do?

There is just a hole in my heart in the shape of you

  


There were many pretty things in the room. Silver dresses that shimmered like a river in the sunlight. A blue gown that looked like the starlit sky. When she looked closer she saw it had jewels sewn in it to give it the starry look.

There was a green dress that reminded her of a spring day. A red dress that resembled fire.

To go with the dresses there were various kinds of jewelry. Necklaces. Bracelets. Earrings. It looked like Hades had dug up all the stones from the earth and put them there in her room. Emeralds. Diamonds. Rubies. Sapphires. Amethysts. Jewels of colors she had never seen before.

Though her heart wanted to run away with her, she knew the only reason Hades had provided so much was so that she didn’t embarrass them by wearing something plane to the god’s party. Still, she let herself imagine for a moment that it was because someone wanted to lavish her with the best.

Peirithous had promised her when he made it big he’d buy her the best and most beautiful things.

In the end she picked the dress that reminded her of spring, pairing it with simple pink diamond earrings. A silver bracelet that looked like vines with emeralds for leaves adorned her wrist as she reached for the door handle.

Out in the hall Minthe was waiting for her.

“Don’t you look nice,” Minthe’s tone did not match her words.

“Are you coming?”

“Oh no, I’ve never been taken to Olympus. But have fun.”

It was with those words she realized that her friend was disappointed.

“I can tell Hades that I don’t want to go and they should take you.”

Minthe snorted, “I don’t need your pity.”

Turning round on her heels she stomped away before Persephone could say anything more.

Though she felt bad she knew there was nothing more she could do. No, that wasn’t true. She could drop hints to Hades about how much they’d been neglecting their girlfriend. She personally knew how bad it felt for your boyfriend to focus all their attention on their work and completely forget you existed.

Even if Hades was a jerk who liked to play games with the dead, they should at least be a better companion to Minthe.

Hades was waiting in the courtyard playing with Cerberus. Stopping she watched them, losing herself in the moment as she smiled at the vigor with which Hades got into the game with the dog.

Again she heard Hades let out a playful growl as they fought to keep a hold of the toy Cerberus had the other end of. It wasn’t the alligator this time, Cerberus had destroyed that toy a while back. This one was a cross between a duck and a beaver. She’d heard Hades call it a platypus. She was sure they had made it up, but Hades assured her it was a real animal.

While Persephone was decked out for the party Hades looked to be wearing their same outfit. She was a little disappointed, why did guys never try that hard with their clothes. Peirithous was the same way. Then Hades turned and she realized they had changed.

While they still wore the hooded cloak, underneath they were wearing an outfit Hades called a tux. A black on black ensemble with a pattern of flowers, but on closer inspection she noticed the petals were little skulls.

The skulls looked to be laughing as Hades moved closer. It wasn’t till the third time they’d said her name she realized they’d been talking to her.

“Sorry, what?”

“Are you ready to go?”

They extended their hand. She felt her chest tighten as she stared at the hand. Again she wondered what might happen to her if she took a hold of it.

When she did she felt as if the ground beneath her had been pulled away as she floated through the air. It was only when the spinning had stopped she realized the world around them had changed.

They weren’t in Tartarus anymore, but had transported to a marble building situated on top of a mountain. Below she spotted a town of marble buildings with green landscape. Olympus. She was actually on mount Olympus where the gods lived.

Her hold of Hade’s hand tightened as she felt her chest clench. Her, a mortal, was standing on Olympus.

Would Zeus strike her down as soon as he saw her?

Would she be turned into a tree or a fish, or something even more horrible? Like a platypus.

Now that she thought about it, the creature could only have come into existence because of an angry god. Duck. Not good enough. Beaver. Not terrible. Why not both? Make a creature that was not fully one or the other. Instead just a terrible juxtaposition that no one could ever accept as being real.

Just as she was starting to spin out she felt something touch her hand. It was Hade’s other hand as they held her hand in both of theirs. Though she couldn’t see their face she imagined the hold to be one of comfort as they motioned with their head for her to follow them.

They entered the building which was filled with music and bodies. There were gods everywhere, some dancing to music, some talking, some engaged in various games. In a corner a group was gathered around a large man with grape vines worn around his head as he chugged from a large bowl of wine.

The whole scene reminded her of a party Peirithous had once dragged her to. It seemed strange to her that a god’s party would be so similar to that of mortals.

A crash of lightning and she was reminded that this was in fact a god’s party as a man appeared in the middle of the room. He was made out of lightning which solidified into a man. It was Zeus.

On the man’s arrival everyone in the room let out a loud cheer, as someone called out to the king of the gods, “late to your own party. That is so you.”

The man who has said this was holding a trident as she realized it was Poseidon.

Zeus laughed as he side hugged his brother. Turning, he looked surprised as he spotted Hades across the room.

“You actually came!” everything he said came out like a thunderous rumble as if he didn’t know how to talk at a normal volume, “When Hermes told me you’d accepted the invitation I thought he was pulling a prank. But here you are.”

Because of his yelling everyone in the room was looking at the pair as Zeus laughed, hitting Hades hard on the back, making Death stumble for a moment. As they righted themselves, Zeus turned his attention to Persephone, who felt like a cornered animal under the man’s intense gaze.

“And who is this?” he practically purred the question as he gave her a cocked eyebrow.

Hades stepped between them, their own voice rumbling as they said in warning, “Back off, Zeus. She’s not interested.”

The god of thunder laughed like he thought it was a joke, “I’ve never seen you get worked up like this.”

“Just keep your hands to yourself. No means no.”

Zeus looked past the god of death, shooting Persephone a smirk like he’d never heard the word once in his life and had no idea what it even meant.

Luckily for Persephone, something else caught the thunder god’s attention as he called out, “Dionysus save some for the rest of us!”

Taking a hold of her elbow, Hades guided Persephone over to a quieter part of the home as they told her to, “Wait here. I’ll get you something to drink.”

Like a shadow they disappeared into the ground, leaving her alone as everyone else seemed to forget she was there.

“I can’t remember the last time Hades attended one of these.”

She turned back, her eyes widening as she took in the woman standing behind her. She was tall and gorgeous in the same way a well-made sword was thought beautiful before it cut you in two. The woman looked bored as her eyes drifted over to the other gods.

Persephone didn’t hear it but she felt the wing from the owl’s large wings as it flew over, landing lightly on the aggressively beautiful woman.

It was then she realized who the woman was.

Athena.

Her breath caught in her throat as the woman’s eyes shifted back to her, “And then to bring a date,” she gazed at Persephone over the wine goblet she was drinking from.

Though she felt as if hands were gripping her throat she managed to choke out the words, “I’m not Hade’s date. Minthe is their girlfriend.”

The woman’s eyebrow arched. She couldn’t tell if it was from disdain or curiosity.

Choosing to think the latter she explained, “Hade’s is just helping me do some things I didn’t have a chance to accomplish in life.”

The woman shifted the goblet away from her mouth, letting it hang from her hand in a lazy manner as she rested her elbow on the top of her other arm. “Hades doesn’t usually care about the dead leaving things undone. Of living unfulfilled lives.”

She swallowed, finding her throat had gone dry.

Where was Hades with that drink?

She took a moment to search the crowd, but could not find the usual darkness that was so easy to spot against the cold marble of the underworld.

“And as for that Minthe girl, Heracles told me she is nothing more than moss clinging to an unmoving rock. But Hades has no real interest in her.”

“If that’s the case why don’t they tell her to leave?”

The woman lifted her shoulders in a vague shrug, “Heracles claims Hades thinks she will eventually give up.”

Was that how Hades felt about her? Eventually she would give up on trying to find her purpose in the afterlife as she faded away into nothing.

A movement caught her attention as she turned her gaze away from the woman. There was her shadow.

They seemed to be floating, making their way towards her. But not really.

Like Minthe had warned her, she was just another game to the god of Death. Another way to pass the time, like how Zeus with all his conquests.

  


Scan you up and down

See you got curves in all the places that count

You in the crowd

He’s looking at you and he looks happier now

Why did I go to his party?

Thought I was done feeling sorry

Know he’d be here with somebody

Why did it have to be you?

I know I’ve got no right to

Really, I just don’t like you

Look prettier than I do, tonight

You make it hard to have a good time

None of it is your fault

And when I hate on you, I’m breaking the code

But you got him, I don’t

Hard to be fair to you when I got my heart broke

I’m gonna try

Til my eyes and these drinks run dry

Til I don’t feel anything

Oh why, why did I go to this party?

Why did it have to be you?

Wish it wasn’t real

You know how I feel

Wish it wasn’t real

But you know how I feel

  


Hades still hadn’t reached them as Persephone gave the woman an excuse before heading away.

She just needed some air. To get away and clear her mind and forget all the things her heart had let her believe. About this day. About this moment. About Death. It really was a mystery. A mystery she had no right trying to solve. She would only ever get hurt in the end.

There was a patio at the back of the home opening out to a large garden with a fountain depicting scantily clad nymphs pouring water into the base. She approached the fountain, scooping up some of the water into her hands as she splashed it on her face.

“Feeling hot. I can help with that.”

Though she knew it wasn’t their voice she expected to find Hades standing behind her. Instead she was greeted with a lecherous smile from Zeus. She stepped back. He moved closer.

  


Space was just a word made up by someone who’s afraid to get close

I want you close and close ain’t close enough

  


Space, it seemed, was another word that unfamiliar to Zeus. She stepped back again, this time holding up her hand to signal for him to stop as he tried to close the distance between them.

“I want to be alone.”

His grin was crooked as he ignored her hand, pressing in so that her hand rested against his chest, “I don’t mind that.”

“But I do.”

She pushed her hand against his chest, making him step back. The action only seemed to egg him on more as his lips curled in a smile.

“I like you. I can see why Hades chose you as his plaything.”

The words stung more than she thought they should.

“But I can give you so much more,” he motioned to the air as he said, “Like the sky for one.” He let out a rumbling laugh that made her shackles rise.

“Have you ever been down to visit Hades?”

Zeus let out a snort, “Of course not. It’s dark and gloomy.”

“And yet you banished your sibling there.”

“They are the one that chose it.”

“Did they? Or was it all that was left for them at the end of the day? Did you even consider trying to find a place for Hades up here?”

Zeus shuddered, “Would you really want the dead wandering around up here?”

“And why is it Hade’s responsibility to take care of the dead? And all on their own. There are so many gods up here to help you, but Hades has to manage all the dead on their own. “

“If Hades had a problem with it they would have said something.”

“Why would they say anything when you’ve made it apparent you don’t care what they think? They didn’t choose to rule the underworld, you banished them there. You may have thought it was a bad location that neither you nor Poseidon wanted, Hades has managed to make something beautiful out of it. But I know if they could they’d choose another life.”

Zeus laughed, “Life? That’s funny coming from a spirit. You don’t know, Hades. They are fine living with the dead. They don’t actually care what happens in the world above.”

Her jaw felt tight with the anger coursing through her, “Mortals call Hades the unseen one, but it’s not men who don’t see them but their own family. You took a perfectly good god, a hard working god, a loyal god, and gave them anxiety.”

Her hands were shaking as she clenched them into fists, “It’s not that Hades doesn’t care about the world above, it’s that they don’t have time to think about anything other than their job. Something I know you wouldn’t understand with all the time you spend chasing tail.”

She heard someone let out an “ooh” as she turned to find they had an audience. The other gods had joined them at some point in the conversation. How much had they heard?

Lightning was crackling in Zeus’ eyes as she looked back at him. A hand touched her arm as she found Hades standing beside her.

Leaning in they whispered, “I wish you would stand up for yourself like you do others.”

Hades stood protectively beside her as everyone looked at Zeus, waiting for his reaction. You could almost feel the lightning humming in the air before Zeus let out a boisterous laugh, “She’s got spirit for a dead girl.”

The others joined in his laughter, tense at first before relaxing into it as the music started up again.

Persephone felt like there was still more to say, but Hades put their arm over her as a signalt was time to move on.

“Let it go,” advised Hades, “He’s hung around thunder so long he’s completely lost his ability to listen.”

She was still fuming when a bright shining man stepped up to Hades. Next to the man Hades looked even darker, like night standing next to day.

Seeing the contrast she realized this man must be Apollo.

“I didn’t see your chariot out front,” stated the god of the sun, “Did you not bring it?”

“No.”

Hades directed Persephone to keep moving as the shining man followed, “AW, I was hoping to challenge you to a race.”

Persephone’s eyes lit up, “An actual race with Apollo?”

Hades turned to look at her, “Does that interest you?”

She tried not to let on just how much it interested her, but Hades saw through her as they let out a slow sigh, “I can have the chariot brought over.”

Apollo clapped excitedly, “Great. I’ll get my horses ready.”

By the time Hade’s chariot arrived everyone at the party had heard about the race. They all gathered out front of the house as Apollo waited in his own chariot beaming brightly like excitement personified. Beside him, Hades looked as grim as ever, the embodiment of despair.

As Hermes started calling out for the crowd to get ready, Hades turned to look at Persephone.

“If I’m doing this you are coming with me,” she didn’t have time to protest as the gods around her pushed her forward. She stumbled, stopping as Hades hand took a hold of hers, pulling her the rest of the way into the chariot.

“Hold on. I don’t want to lose you.”

The words sent a buzz of electricity up her spine, which increased in magnitude as Hade’s reached back to make her wrap her arms around their waist. The cloak always made them look larger, but with her arms around them she realized just how slender the god of Death was.

She barely registered Hermes’ shouting “Go” before they were off. While Apollo flew through the sky, Hades remained on the ground, their chariot drifting in and out of the shadows, making leaps and bounds across the open plane as they entered one shadow before coming out another.

  


Night chasing the sun

The sun chasing the night

No way of knowing who is in the lead.

  


Her arms wrapped tighter around the god as she felt her heart pound in her chest. Whether because of adrenaline or her proximity to Hades she couldn’t be sure.

It was as they exploded out of another shadow that she realized she wasn’t cold like she would expect from holding onto death. They were putting off as much heat as a living person.

Did she feel cold against them?

If she touched their chest would she find a heartbeat? Her whole face warmed at the idea of running her hands over Hade’s body.

What was she thinking?

She was so busy chiding herself she didn’t notice they’d reached the end till the roar of the crowd’s cheers filled her ears.

After the chariot had come to a stop Hades got out first, reaching back to help her out.

“Did we win?”

“It was a tie.” They sounded breathless, like keeping up with Apollo had taken up all their energy. And maybe it had. Jumping shadows couldn’t be easy, even for a god.

Her face felt heat again as she found herself considering how attractive the god of death looked in that moment.

“You ready to go back?”

She nodded, afraid her voice might give away the inner turmoil going on in her chest. She couldn’t be falling for death. She shouldn’t be falling for death. She wasn’t falling for death.

And yet, when she took their hand she felt it again, that familiar flutter of her heart. The same feeling that had taken a hold of her the first time Peirithous had looked into her eyes and told her he loved her.

She wasn’t sure when it had happened, but somehow, by some cruel twist of fate, she had fallen for the god of death.


	12. Chapter 12

Minthe wasn’t in Persephone’s room the next morning. She had become so used to the woman’s presence first thing in the morning that it almost felt like something was missing from her life.

She told herself the woman was probably just busy. She had a life outside Persephone and pursuing the god of death. Then the second day came and went and still no sign of the nymph.

The third day she made a point to look for the woman, finding Hades instead.

“Have you seen Minthe?”

Worry tightened her voice. What if something terrible had happened to her? What if—

“Minthe is no longer a guest of the underworld,” was all Hades would say.

Before she could try to ask further questions, they told her, “I’m having company for dinner. I would like it if you could join us.”

In all the time she’d been there she could not remember a time she’d seen Hades eat, let alone host a dinner party. It seemed a strange thing to occur, let alone be invited to.

“Are you sure you want me to attend?”

Seeing how stunned she was, Hades further added to the confusion as they told her, “They only reason they are coming is to meet you.”

Now she really didn’t know how to react.

“They heard how you spoke up to Zeus and are keen on meeting the mortal that dared challenge him.”

Her palms felt sweaty as she nervously licked at her lips, “It’s not that big a deal.”

“It is for them.”

“Why’s that?”

“Because Zeus is their father.”

She could feel her pulse pounding in her ears as she felt like the world was spinning, like Hades was again transporting them across space and time, “We’re having a god for dinner?”

“Demi-god. Heracles. I believe you’ve heard of them.”

Suddenly she felt faint.

Heracles was coming to dinner.

To eat with her.

Yes. She was definitely going to pass out.

They must be angry with her and were coming to make her pay for telling off their father.

This-this must have been the culmination of the joke that Hades was playing on her and she had fallen right into their trap.

Oh, why did her heart keep having to betray her?

____

It was only when she was waiting for Heracles to arrive that she recalled, last she’d heard, Heracles was dead. Had died in the Trojan war. The same war that had taken her father.

“Through one door to me, Heracles is dead. But through another she is still alive and fighting the patriarchy.”

As they headed to the dining room together, Hades paused at the doors, “Don’t tell Heracles about their death.”

Then they opened the door.

Heracles was not what Persephone had expected, even with knowing they would be a woman.

She was intimidating. A large woman with muscles for muscles and a lion’s pelt thrown over her shoulder, boobs out underneath like she didn’t care.

She could see why so many had run in fear from the woman just from looking at her.

“It’s nice to finally meet you. I’ve heard so much about you.” Heracles took her hand, completely enveloping her hand in theirs. Though strong, she had control over her muscles to keep her hold gentle as she planted a kiss on the back of Persephone’s hand. As she winked at Persephone she was reminded that she was in fact Zeus’ offspring.

Her face flushed.

“Now why someone as pretty and lively as you would want to hang around dark and broody over there is beyond me. But, I guess you don’t really have a choice,” Heracles winced as if sensing a hard look coming from Hades. Like the god of death had also reminded them not to bring up the subject of death, “Oh, sorry. I’m sure that’s a sore subject for you. My apologies.”

As they sat down for the first course, Persephone inquired, “How exactly did you become friends?”

Heracles laughed heartily, “I borrowed Hade’s dog and after that they couldn’t get rid of me.”

Hades let out a sigh that told Persephone this was the greatest tragedy of their life. But from the way Heracles grinned she was sure it was all a long running joke for them.

Heracles grabbed a chicken leg, taking a big bite from it before washing the meat down with some wine.

“Aren’t you afraid of eating the food down here?”

Heracles paused, looking horrified for a moment like she’d forgotten, then she let out a hearty laugh, “No. No I’m not afraid. That whole thing about eating the food down here is a lie Hades made up to get people to leave quicker. If they took time to stay for a meal they might realize it’s not actually that bad down here and end up staying. And that’s what Hades fears the most, having house guests they have to play host to.”

She didn’t have to look at Hades to confirm this story, from the little she knew about the god it seemed totally in character for them.

“When Hades told me you were actually a woman I had trouble believing it at first. But now that I have visual confirmation it just makes all the things you accomplished that much more amazing.”

A wide grin, “Why thank you. I am pretty amazing.”

“You’re going to give her a big head,” stated Hades.

“But why do all the legends portray you as a man?”

She was startled as Heracles slammed her hand down on the table, her voice dark as she said, “Because men have trouble believing that a woman could do all the things I’ve done.”

“I know I wouldn’t be able to do all you’ve accomplished. Especially those 13 labors.”

As soon as the words were out her mouth she felt as if she’d said the wrong thing. She shouldn’t have brought up something that all started because of a tragically unfair event.

But Heracles didn’t look bothered by it as she started into the tale, “Yeah, so Hera is the epitome of women not supporting women. She kept throwing extra things at me the whole trial; trying to make me fail because of something a man, her husband, had chosen to do. But because she didn’t think she could do anything to him she took it out on me.”

The demi-god let out a tired sigh, “Anyway, as I’m sure you know from the tale, Hera drove me mad and I slew my sons and wife. I have my father’s temper and during the lunar cycle I’m always right on the edge. Though I’d been wronged, I felt like I had to make up for it, like very few men would actually do, but as I woman I knew I wouldn’t be able to do anything without making recompense for my actions. To blame Hera for it and not do anything to atone would just put me on the god’s shit list.”

Persephone frowned as she recalled how the gods had treated Hades just because they were a little different.

“Of course they told me the only way I could make up for it was to serve the whims of that ridiculous King Eurystheus. I don’t know how someone like him became king, the whole thing is ridiculous, but whatever,” she stabbed her finger into the shell of a lobster as she pulled its insides to the outside, “And of course he didn’t think I would be able to succeed. When I did he was all terrified and wouldn’t even let me back into the city after I’d fulfilled his various busy work,” a snort,” Busy work. That’s all it really was. They didn’t care what I’d done or that I was trying to atone for it. I swear, they just started making shit up for me to do. The only good thing to come out of it was that me and Athena became friends. She helped me out a lot. Now she is actually a woman. The kind who supports other women. Well, most of the time. Medusa wouldn’t say the same about her.”

She paused as they both considered that tragic story for a moment.

“If not for her being a god I’m sure Eurystheus would have discounted all the trials she helped me with. He did it for two of my tasks, typical male bullshit, trying to discount the work of a woman by attributing its success to someone else. I mean, you know I slew the hydra myself, but because my nephew helped out by sealing its wounds I had to have an extra trial tacked on. And then because I was clever and used my mind to help clean out the stables they wouldn’t count that one either. Ridiculous. But I learned my lesson after that and made sure not to give them any further excuses to discount my work.”

“But you still have male assistants?”

Heracles nodded, “I learned that as a woman sometimes you need a man with you to get other men to listen. It’s ridiculous, but it’s the world we live in,” she let out a long slow sigh before throwing back another glass of wine, “A great deal of my assistants have fallen for me. But I keep reminding them, “I’m not into you.” I was harsh about it at first, but I learned to let them down gently, men’s egos can be so fragile. I don’t want any of them to throw themselves off a cliff because of me.”

“I’m sorry history doesn’t portray your truth.”

Heracles snorted, “Me too. Hades tells me in the future the history books still portray me as a man. Which is tiresome, but at least they still see me as a strong, awesome figure worth talking about. It would have been nice if they’d gotten my gender right, but whatever.”

Another drink was finished as Heracles wiped her mouth, “But let’s talk about something brighter. How are you liking your stay here? Is Hades treating you right?”

Persephone could feel herself beaming as she told Heracles all about the second chance she had found in death thanks to Hades. The whole time she noticed Heracles shooting Hades meaningful looks, but what the meanings could be she was not sure.

When Hades suggested she play something for Heracles she didn’t feel the usual tightness in her chest as she actually agreed. Hurrying off to get her lyre, she came back to the soft whispering of the pair.

“You are being ridiculous.”

She peaked around the corner as Hades let out a tired sigh, “What’s the point, Heracles? Keeping her. Fighting to keep her. Either way she’d end up dead. I would only be delaying it. You know I tried to stop it when you died, but in the end you eventually perished. No matter what the legends say, gods can’t make mortals into immortals. Even demi-gods eventually die.”

“But you can enjoy the time you have with her, Hades.”

She felt like she had walked in on a conversation she wasn’t supposed to be a part of. Turning she started away, feeling an ache in her chest like a part of it had been cut out.

No matter how she felt, no matter what she did, eventually her time with Hades would come to an end.

Eventually all good things came to an end.

Even death.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had a dream were Heracles was woman and I chose to keep that idea in homage to the story the dream inspired.


	13. Chapter 13

Heracles found her wandering the halls of the palace.

“There you are. I thought you were going to play a song for us,” noticing the lyre in Persephone’s hand, Heracles looked to understand as she said, “I guess you chickened out. Well, that’s okay. Come drink with me. Hades won’t play with me anymore.”

Though she didn’t feel like it, she agreed, unsure she could safely turn down a demi god.

Back in the dining room she found Hades gloomily sitting at the table looking like misery itself.

“I found her,” stated Heracles.

Was it her imagination or did the god of death actually look to brighten at the sight of her?

No, it was all in her head.

Her stupid love sick head.

She sat down miserably in the seat as Heracles poured her a big tall glass. She downed it in one.

Heracles let out a hearty laugh, “Ah. Looks like we finally have a challenger. Would you like to play a game?”

Hades started to object, but Persephone answered before they could stop her, “I’d love to.”

The wine helped to dull the bitterness in her chest at the realization that the things she had started to tell herself about her time in the underworld were all just a misunderstanding.

She wasn’t sure how many cups she drained before the world started to spin. There looked to be two Heracles laughing as the world around her spun like she was traveling the world.

“Looks like someone has had enough.”

She felt herself rising as she tipped to the side, smelling dirt and incense. Her gaze lifted as she looked up into the hooded shadow of Hade’s face.

“When did you get here?

“I knew this was a bad idea.”

She heard laughter behind her but as she turned to look her head spun completely around as she tipped again.

“You shouldn’t have challenged Heracles to a drinking contest.”

“I just wanted to try. You said to do things I didn’t do in life. I thought since I was dead I might stand a better chance.” She laughed, almost falling over as Hade’s arms tightened around her waist, keeping her upright, “But I guess not.”

Hands held her tight as she found herself being gently placed onto her bed.

“When did we get here?”

Hades was setting her own, placing a blanket over her. Before they could move away she wrapped her arms around their neck, pulling them back to her.

“You need to sleep too.”

Her mouth felt strange as she spoke as if trying to talk around a mouthful of pebbles.

Hades reached back to pull her arms free of their neck, “I’ll get some sleep after you.”

She shook her head, holding onto them tighter as she squeezed her arms around them like a snake, “No. I’m not letting go. I know you’ll just go off and get distracted with some dead person freshly arrived. But someone else can deal with that. Stay with me.”

Hades let out a breath of air, the sound of a grave opening, “Fine.”

Picking her up like she weighed nothing, they set her down on one side of the bed as they took the other side.

“I’ll stay here for a bit. But I do have things to take care of before bed so once you--.”

To make sure they didn’t try to leave she sat on their lap.

Dropping her head back, she rested her head against their chest. Being this close she could almost imagine she could hear the whispers of their heart.

“Don’t move. Don’t leave me. Stay here.”

She laughed to herself. What a silly thing for the heart of death to whisper.

“Persephone,” Hades voice was husky, like the depths of Tartarus themselves were speaking.

She took a hold of the king of death’s hand, running her own fingers over each of theirs. Slowly, like she was running her finger over a feather. Like she was trying to memorize the bends and ridges, crooks and edges of their hand.

“You could play piano with these,” she laughed again as she took the back of Hade’s hand, rubbing it against her cheek and lips.

Against her back she felt Hades go rigid like a gravestone.

She let out a contented sigh as she leaned her head back into the crook of their neck.

“Have you ever regretted choosing the underworld as your domain?”

“Not once,” a long pause then, “Not till now.”

She faded into sleep with the scent of pomegranates and promises at the fringes of her consciousness.

____

It was dark when she came awake.

Her head pounded like waves crashing against the shore as she let out a low, pained groan.

The embers in the fireplace let out a pop, just barely holding onto life as their light returned for the briefest of moments.

Rolling over she found a shape in the space beside her.

There were times when she’d awake to find Minthe lying beside her, but something about this shape told her it was not Minthe.

Reaching out she touched the shadow, realizing as she did that it was Hades. They did not stir. This gave her courage as she started to run her hand over the outline of their hood, her fingers pausing at the base.

Minthe had told her, warned her that the hood hid a terrible secret. That Hades was nothing more than a monster beneath the shadows. But everything she’d heard about Death up till then had been wrong. Hades was a hard working god with a great love for their dog and a personality that seemed to care about everyone, even the dead.

What was the hood actually hiding?

Before she could think of a reason not to, she pushed the hood back, her heart letting out a gasp as soon as the shadows moved away.

She would have expected deaths’ hair to be black like tar, but it was more like a night sky, so black it shone blue. Like the sky that surrounded the moon that was death’s face.

The face was not hideous, as Minthe had made it seem, or made up of snakes, like she’d imagined. Instead it was beautiful, the face of an angle, with lips like a peach, long lashes like feathers resting against cheeks that looked as soft as clouds. A speck rested on one of the cheeks, a mole, she found as she lightly touched the skin.

Her body tensed as for a moment Hades stirred, then with a contented sigh they were back asleep.

This was not the face of a man. Even the most beautiful man was nowhere as radiant as this face. This was not the face of a god, but of a goddess.

Then all the pieces fell into place. Hade’s need to be perfect for fear of having their power removed.

The meaningful looks exchanged with Heracles when talking about men wanting to erase ones female gender.

It had been right in front of her the whole time and she’d not realized it.

The longer she stared at the face the more mesmerized she was by it.

Was this what it was like for the men of Troy with Helen? The kind of face that men would willingly go to war to die for.

Hades stirred again, something in their sleep making them react, as their lips pursed for a moment as one of their eyes creased. Persephone’s breath caught as she found her eyes fix on Death’s mouth. A dangerous question came, pounding louder and harder against the doors of her mind,

What would Death’s lips feel like?

Another pounding at her mind’s door: What would Death taste like?

Hade’s lips shifted into a grin as if they could sense waht she was thinking. As if they were daring her to risk everything and lean in close. To take the leap in to the dark.

Why not?

What was she scared of?

She was already dead.

What more could she lose?

And Hades had told her to do the things she’d been too scared to do in life. To take the leaps she’d hesitated to even approach before. To take the chances she had never let herself consider.

She found herself pressing her lips to Death’s before she’d even realized she’d moved. Against her lips she felt Hades’ frown as they shifted back from her.

“Minthe, stop, I told--,” Hades eyes fluttered open, widening when they saw it was her in front of them.

Again she found it hard to breathe as she gazed into Death’s eyes. Eyes green like cave moss and as deep as the grave.

“Persephone,” Hades sounded surprised, confused, as they sat up straighter. It was then they noticed their hood was gone as they reached up to double check. Their fingers found only air as they questioned its absence, “It shouldn’t have fallen off.”

“I’m sorry. I removed it. I just…I wanted to know what Death looked like.”

Hades swallowed slowly before licking their lips. Her lips.

For the record, death’s lips tasted liked pomegranates. A wine that made Persephone’s head spin with only one sip. And like the worst lush she was addicted.

“And?” started Hades, slowly, “What does death look like to you?”

Her breath shook as she drew it in to give her heart a chance to catch up with the rest of her, “Like the night sky. A moonlit walk along a river that shimmers like mercury.”

Hades jaw flexed, “Some find walks at night frightening.”

“Not if they are walking with the right person.”

Hades mouth shifted into a crooked smile that made Persephone feel like she’d been thrown into the ocean, tumbling in the waves. Above her she saw moonlight. The sight calmed her as she realized even in the water she could breathe. She was a mermaid and the waves were where she’d always belonged.

She swam deeper.

___

In the morning, Hades took her on a tour of Tartarus.

They took her to the River Styx which swirled like lava and ice water together without becoming one.

It was almost, almost like being above ground but like walking out at night with the stars shining above and the river Styx looking like a river of mercury in the moonlight. If she didn’t look at it long enough she didn’t even notice the faces floating within the waters.

Unlike at night above ground she felt safe with Cerberus bounding alongside her and Hades. It was almost like they were a little family walking together, just her and her beloved with their dog.

They took her the Elysian Fields where she watched the dead laughing happily as they ran through fields of rainbow grass. Others sat under trees that bore multiple fruits at once. Fruit that shone like crystal, but broke away like regular fruit when you bit into it. Where one threw the remains they would melt away into the ground as several flowers popped up in its place, each glistening like it was covered in fresh morning dew.

“I was missing home, but you know, I think I could learn to be happy here.”

Since they were alone, at her begging, Hades kept their hood down so that she saw their lips stretch into a thin line. She did not know what the expression meant as Hades simply nodded at her words.

From there they took her to the crystal forest which was made up of clusters of various colored crystals.

“That’s azurite,” explained Hades as they pointed at a crystal that rose up like an explosive line of blue and black.

The forest wasn’t just made up of tall structures of crystals but the ground also had a covering of gemstones. There was a cluster of rainbow amethyst which shimmered with yellow, blue, and pink in the light. Near that a geode of purple amethyst had been broken open, looking like a purple night’s sky with sparkling pink stars.

When she was alive she had seen crystals after they had been cut free of their rocky bases and smoothed down into healing crystals or orbs for decoration. But here in the forest everything was uncut; growing wild and free.

There were gems that grew in square shapes, ones that grew in long cylinders clustered together. And they didn’t grow on their own, some were clustered together, amazonite and smoky quartz growing in clumps mixing together with clevelandite.

Seeing how much she enjoyed the forest Hades took her to the Rainbow shores. A stretch of beach where the shore wasn’t covered in sand but smooth glass that shone with multiple colors like a rainbow as the underground ocean waves washed across it.

Cerberus let out a loud bark before bounding across the shore line. The smooth glass did not give the dog’s paws purchase as they started to slide. They let out a distressed whine as they to slide towards the water, which splashed around the dog’s haunches as it slide into the waves.

While the shore was rainbow the waters were black like midnight, with white foam that looked like lace along the edges of the water.

“It really is beautiful down here. I never would have thought that of Tartarus.”

Hades offered her their arm as they kept her steady as they led her out onto the rainbow shore. While she slipped and slid Hades remained steady as their feet never touched the ground.

As she gripped Hades arm tighter she noticed their eyes twinkle with amusement.

“In the future they wear wheels on their feet and slide around on ground as smooth as this to music as various colored lights shine around them.”

“And they do this for?”

“Fun.”

“People in the future sound strange.”

For a moment she caught a hint of a smile from Hades that made her heart quiver.

Now that she was able to see Hades without their hood she wasn’t sure her heart could handle it.

“You know, the vision I had of death is entirely different than you. Even after i got here Minthe painted a different image of you than what I see now. I see now that none of the things I heard about you were lies. “

“Maybe not all of them.”

Minthe had said Hades tortured the dead for their own amusement. But now that she had spent time with the Death god she could not see them doing that, “She told me you once tortured a man with his fears for your own amusement.”

“I don’t do things for amusement. But I think I recall the man she was referring to. I was trying to help him conquer his fears so he could enjoy his afterlife. Once he had I sent him on to the afterlife.”

But why had Minthe lied? Why had she tried to taint Persephone’s image of Hades?

All it had done was make Persephone afraid as she’d done her best to avoid the death god. Had that been what Minthe had been trying to accomplish? To keep Hades all for herself.

“How did you meet Minthe?”

The ground beneath them started to crunch as she looked down to find the smooth rainbow glass had changed to a white ground that crunched like snow beneath her feet. The ground was made of broken pieces of bone!

No, shells, as she looked closer. Hundreds of thousands of shells, all blistered white like they’d been bleached by the sun.

“I was out one day,” started Hades their steps silent as they drifted above the ground, “She followed me back and I was never able to get her to leave.”

Hades paused as Cerberus ran past the pair; barking at them as if to say, “Keep up!”

“I never wanted to be one of those people who takes a lover just to have someone. Though I tried to get to know Minthe I never felt like she took the time to know me. It always felt like she wanted me for the ability to brag about being the lover of a god.

“I want someone who loves me, not for what I am, or what I can do for them. I want someone who can see past the shadows and death to the me underneath it all.”

Death actually looked bashful as they brushed their hair back behind their ear. A strand avoided the move and Persephone felt the urge to reach up and brush it back for Hades. To run her fingers through the death gods hair. To slide her thumb along the side of Hade’s cheek.

The king of the underworld was watching Cerberus as the dog dug up the ground, white shells flying up into the air like seafoam.

“We’d be each other’s worlds,” continued Hades, their voice low like the rumble of the earth as its plates shifted, “But not in the way where you consume each other’s lives. More like worlds that rotate around the sun, you each have your own path in life but at the end of the day you come back to each other.

“We each would have our own passions that would make our lives together better. If I’m the only thing they care about then eventually their love is going to wear out.”

The words reminded her of her time being Peirithous’ muse and thinking if he only ever wrote about her eventually all his works would sound the same. Had that been what had happened? They’d worn out their love for one another.

“Like with Hera and Zeus,” continued Hades, “She is fully focused on Zeus and he is the only thing she cares about. That’s not to say that her complete focus on him is the reason for him being a terrible person and cheating on her. But I feel like if she had something to focus on other than him and her jealousy and taking revenge on him she might not be so miserable. She might even realize he’s not worth her time and leave him. Wouldn’t that be amazing? A godly divorce.”

They looked at her as if expecting an answer. But when she didn’t respond right away they continued, “But to have something you enjoy separate from your lover, something you care about in addition to them, something you can bring back to your relationship to enhance it. I believe that’s what makes a relationship stronger. Makes your love better.

“Like Aphrodite and Hephaestus. Their relationship is healthy because Hephaestus has their weapon smithing to love in addition to their wife. They make the most beautiful pieces inspired by their love for their wife. And having that love of their smithing adds to his ability to express their love for Aphrodite. It isn’t something to distract them from their love, but it becomes another method by which they can show their love. Aphrodite is always bragging about the jewelry and statues Hephaestus makes for her. Their various hobbies give each other more to love about each other.

Something about Hades’ words awakened a question in her heart as before she could stop it she heard herself ask, “Why have you done all these things for me?” she motioned to the underworld, Why are you giving me this second chance at life?”

“I don’t know. Just…I noticed you one day when I was out collecting a soul. Something about you made me linger.”

Cerberus barked, the sound muffled as she turned to see the dog had a large clamshell gripped in its jaws. Their tail wagged proudly behind them.

“The next time I was out I kind of went out of my way to check on you. Something about you made me linger even more. After that I started going out without any reason just to check on you. I know that’s kind of stalkerish and I’m sorry, but I mean, how is the god of death going to talk to a mortal. And I tried to stop and not come around anymore. And I did for a long time, then I got the news that you died and I remembered all the times I watched you and how much potential you had and hadn’t realized. How much you cared for others while not considering your own desires. I wanted to give you a second chance to build the life you should have lived. You deserved to live to see the beauty in yourself that I know others saw.”

Not Peirithous. Peirithous had never seen her as anything more than a tool to help himself.

But Hades wasn’t like that. Even now they were only thinking about her.

She smiled as she interlaced her fingers with Death.

She was not sure how long they walked like that but as they did she realized that time did not matter anymore. Not just because it had always been hard for her to track down there, but now it never even came to her mind as she passed through eternity with Death.

  


I’ve seen the world, done it all

Had my cake now

Diamonds, brilliant

Hot summer nights

When you and I were forever wild

The crazy days, city lights

The way you’d play with me like a child

Will you still love me

When I’m not longer young and beautiful?

Will you still love me

When I’ve got nothing but my aching soul?

I know you will, I know you will

When I get to heaven

Please let me bring my love

When they come tell them that you’ll let them in

Tell me if you can

All that grace, all that body

All that face, makes me wanna party

They’re my sun, they make me shine like diamonds


	14. Chapter 14

One day she rolled over and was startled awake by the sound of something hitting the ground. As she sat up she saw the thing was her stacks of music.

As she picked up the papers she looked around the room for a new place to put them. The desk was full. The shelf above the fireplace was stacked high. She opened the wardrobe, almost being bowled over with all the papers that rolled out.

If she wasn’t already dead she would have been buried alive.

She was trying to cram the papers under her bed when she heard a knock at her door.

“Come in.

“Oh, my.”

She turned to find Hades standing in the doorway taking it all in.

“I seem to have run out of room.”

“It would seem so,” a pause, then, “do you want to move all this to another room of the castle? Somewhere you would feel comfortable working and practicing your pieces.”

She didn’t even have to think about it as she said, “The garden room. Flowers always seem to grow better when I sing to them.”

Hades nodded, “That would be fine. I’ll have your things moved.”

Hours later she stepped into the garden where a piano had been set up along with her lyre and shelves of songbooks.

Sitting at the piano she started to play as the scent of the flowers filled the air. She was only partway through when she realized she was crying. It only took her looking at the flowers to realize why she was bawling.

“Mom.”

It all came rushing back to her, memories of her mother’s face. Her hands, gentle yet rough from labor. Her smile soft, her eyes sad with a mixture of hope.

When would she see her mother again?

Would she even recognize her?

Or would her senses have gone away by then, making her nothing more than a lifeless husk that mindlessly wandered the halls of the castle?

It wasn’t just her mother she missed.

It was the things she had missed out on when she was distracted by being Peirithous’ muse. Being her mother’s daughter.

Now that she was doing things she alone wanted for herself she realized there was little good in writing all her songs when there was no one around to hear them. No one to appreciate all the work she had put into her songs. No matter how long she worked she would only ever have an audience of none.

She was alone.

  


The next time she saw Hades she asked them about it, “I know you probably can’t let me see her, but I’d just like to know that she’s doing okay.”

Hades’ body language was tense as if they knew something they didn’t want to share with her.

“What? What is it?”

“She’s not stopped looking for you.”

“Hasn’t stopped? What do you mean?”

“They never found your body to bury you. She doesn’t know where you are.”

It was then she remembered something Minthe had mentioned in passing about how all the spirits that wandered the castle halls were those that had never been buried.

She went cold as she realized she was among them. Great sobs rocked her body as she felt Hade’s arms wrap around her, holding her close, warming her as she shook with sadness.

“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have told you.”

“Is there anything that can be done? Could you help her find my body so she can have peace?

They wouldn’t look at her.

“You are the god of the dead. Can’t you do anything?”

Hades wouldn’t look at her, their voice dark and husky, like the wind at night, “It’s not going to change anything. You will still be dead. Eventually she will join you.”

The words reminded her of what she’d overheard Heracles discussing with Hades.

Though Hades seemed to have decided, she couldn’t let it go as she held their arm, “Please. You have been so kind to me up till now. I know you’ve done so much, but I just want this one thing. Then I can pass onto Elysian, or wherever I’m destined to spend the rest of my after life.”

She felt their arm tense under her fingers.

“You don’t need to pass on just yet.”

“You have been so wonderful to me. And this has been so wonderful to write songs but we both know I can’t do this forever. And,” her voice broke, “I miss my mom.”

Hades let out a shaky breath, the wind coming off the top of a mountain, “You’re right. This isn’t fair to you. It’s time I let you go.”

Their voice cracked like the ground opening up during an earthquake.

“Lay back.”

“Hades.”

Their voice was firm as they took a hold of her shoulders, helping her as they set her back on the cold marble ground.

“It’s okay. It was selfish of me to keep you here when you want to go. Lay back,” their voice was so soft, so tender.

  


I could say everything’s alright

And I could pretend that I’m okay and say goodbye

I could say that’s the way it goes

And I could pretend and you won’t know

That I was lying

Cause I can’t stop loving you

No I can’t stop loving you

No I won’t stop loving you

Why should I?

I’ll walk away and you won’t know

That I’ll be crying

I’ll always be here by your side

I never wanted to say goodbye

Why even try, I’ll always be here if you change your mind

I can’t stop loving you

  


As she closed her eyes she felt Hades plant a kiss on each of her eyelids. When they were done she felt a wetness on her cheek.

A tear.

Opening her eyes she started to call out for them to wait. As soon as her eyes came open instead of the marble ceiling she saw blue.

Sitting up she found herself sitting at the bottom of a cliff. It felt like ages ago but as she looked around she realized it was the same cliff she had fallen from all that time ago.

Looking up now the cliff did not appear as high as she had thought back when she’d fallen.

As she moved to get up, something stuck to her hands, pulling at her hands as she looked own to find a redness beneath her.

Blood!

No. not blood. Red flowers. Smashed red flowers which seemed to have cushioned her fall.

She was not dead.

Had everything been a dream?


	15. Chapter 15

The town was just as Persephone remembered it. It was almost like no time had passed at all.

Again her mind questioned if everything that had happened with the death god had been a dream.

There had been so many strange and wonderful things to happen in the land of the dead. It was unlikely that any of that had actually been real.

But it had all felt so real.

As she entered the town square she saw the usual familiar faces. Many looked surprised when they saw her, some even screamed and ran.

Then she heard someone call out her name. Turning she watched as her mother ran to her, arms open as she took her into a big hug.

“Persephone!”

She hugged her mother back, crying into her chest as they held each other and cried and cried and cried.

When they were done her mother told her that she had been gone for several days.

Not as long as Persephone had dreamed she’d been in Tartarus, but long enough for her mother to worry and long enough for Peirithous to spread stories about what had happened to her.

Her mother told her that he’d claimed to have seen Hades come to take Persephone to the underworld as their bride.

The story had gotten Peirithous a lot of attention so he’d been invited from city to city to share the tale that had grown in more popularity than any of his previous works.

The version he told did not paint Hades in a good light. It made them out to be a thief who took what they wanted without a thought for what Persephone had wanted. The Hades in the story sounded more like their brother Zeus with his inability to hear the word “no.”

If Hades was like their brother they never would have let her return to the land of the living.

Realizing how badly the story was portraying Hades, she determined to fix things. To tell everyone the truth.

  


Down the street she spotted Peirithous. He had his arm thrown over the shoulder of a woman, a wide grin on his face as he leaned in to whisper something in her ear. She smiled and leaned in as they kissed passionately.

  


Whispered promises

Sweet to her ears

The same sweet promises that once caressed my ears

  


Though she thought the sight should make her hot with anger, having only been gone a few days, when she approached Peirithous she instead felt nothing as he sputtered, looking surprised at the sight of her.

“Persephone, you are back. I had heard talk, but I did not believe--

“Why would you tell people that Hades took me?”

He looked stunned at the sudden interruption as he slowly replied, “Because he was there when I went back to get you. I saw all that blood and then this creepy hooded figure stepped out of the shadows, literally, and I just ran.”

Pushing away the girl, who looked offended, he held out his hands to Persephone as he beamed. The smile she had once called her sun, now appeared to her like a yellow stain, “When I saw Hades I thought I was going to die, but he only took you. He gods seemed to accept my sacrifice of you because after that I was inspired to write my best poem yet: the tragedy of Persephone, bride of Hades.

“And now it seems the gods have appreciated my story so much, in thanks they have returned you to me.”

As he took her hands in his she pulled them free.

He did not seem to notice her sour expression as he glowed, ‘The gods are good.”

From what she knew the only good god was Hades. And she doubted Hades had done any of this to help out Peirithous. Having had some distance from him, she now realized she had let herself be the Echo to his Narcissus, but now she was done with all that.

He had called her his muse, a word she realized he threw around like people threw seed. And words were important to him. Or so he claimed. But now she realized that garbage thrown against a wall would have meant more than the things he’d told her.

She had been lost in the idea of loving someone who would create things just for her. To have words cultivated in the heart only for her. But now she realized it had all been a lie. And she would much rather be the one creating the worlds.

  


You think you’ve got your way

But, baby there’s a catch

Don’t need your foul play

Now you have met your match

You think you’re in control

But that won’t last that long

You thought you wore the crown

Honey, you were wrong.

You had me taken in

But know I’ve found you out

And I won’t go through that again

You’ve always had to win

You’ll have to go without

You don’t know where to stop.

Go. I’ll get over you

You drive me crazy up the wall

Think you’re Mr. know it all.

I let you have your say

You never compromised

Complaining everyday

About everything in sight

I’ve let your stay a while

Now I am getting bored

No substance in your style and

You’re not the man I thought you were.

  


“You need to tell them the story is a lie,” stated Persephone as she pushed Peirithous away, “That’s not what happened at all.”

He shrugged, “I don’t know what happened to you, I ran away before the guy did anything.”

“And you didn’t tell my mother where she could find me?”

“I assumed death took your body. I don’t know how it works.”

“Fine, but you have to change your story. Hades did not steal me and they are not some cold tyrant. She is actually the kindest, most gentle, most generous person I have ever known.”

‘She?”

She felt like she’d been encased in ice as she realized what she’d said, “They, They are a generous person.”

But Peirithous wasn’t listening as he continued to focus on her mistake, ‘Hades is a woman? That’s ridiculous. Why would they make a woman ruler of the underworld? Everyone knows women are terrible at taking control and organizing things. No one would even take her seriously.”

No matter what she said he wouldn’t listen. And no one would listen when she told them Hades was not like how Peirithous had painted them in his poem.

In the end the only person that would listen was her mother.

“I’m just glad they sent you back to me.”

“But why do you believe me, Mom? Why are you the only one that will listen to me?”

Her mother held her close as she stroked her hair, “While you were gone a strange plant grew in my garden. I did not recognize it, but I knew from its leaves it was dangerous. I grabbed a shovel to dig it up, but as soon as I got near these vines came out and started attacking me.”

Her eyes widened as she held her mother tighter, “Oh, no.”

“A dark shape appeared and cut away the vines. The vines let out a shrill scream and pulled away. Then the shadow cursed the plant, ‘You want to be a plant, Minthe, then a plant you will be forever.’ The vines went back into the ground and in its spot a beautiful vibrant green plant with a sweet smell was left. ‘This one is harmless. Use it in funeral rites if you like. It has a nice smell to cover up the odor of death.’ They did not say who they were, but I knew when I saw them that they were Death. I called out to them to beg them to tell me if you were okay, but they left before I could get an answer. I see now that they had come to protect me for your sake.”

Minthe. She had wondered what had happened to her. Now she knew. She had thought the girl had been her friend, but now she knew for sure she had only ever hung around Persephone to poison her perception about Death.

When she told her mother about the girl, she nodded as she added, “She realized she was losing Hades to you and couldn’t get back at you since you were dead. But she could hurt you through me.”

“But she was Hade’s girlfriend. I was just someone they wanted to help.”

Her mother patted her hand with a knowing look, “A god like Hades does not do all that for just anyone. The only thing that could have made them do all that was love. Poor Death did not stand a chance,” her mother planted a kiss on her forehead. Sweet, but not the kind of kiss her skin longed to feel.

“Love?”

Love.

She wanted to tell her that was ridiculous, but the more she thought about it the more her mind filled with the word.

Her heart ached as she remembered all the times Hades had been there for her. Encouraging her. building her up. Taking care of her from a distance without asking anything from her in return. Unlike Peirithous who always wanted something. Who always took and never gave.

But she did not want to compare them. They were not even worth putting side by side.

A different kind of ache filled her chest as she realized in that moment how much she missed them.

She had thought she was alone at Hades castle, but now she realized how often Hades had been there by her side. She had never really been alone with death.

“Oh, mother, I miss them.”

Her mother made soothing sounds as she held her close, “I’m sure you do. I can only imagine how Hades must feel all alone in that big castle.”

The words hit her like the ground had when she’d fallen.

She had been so focused on her own loneliness she had not recognized the same ache in Death’s eyes. But they had chosen Persephone’s happiness over their own. Just as they had chosen to take Tartarus in order to maintain the peace among their siblings. Always choosing other’s happiness above their own.

Why couldn’t Hades ever choose themselves over others?

Instead they always chose the thankless jobs that didn’t give them time to form attachments.

And in the end when Persephone had begged to go home Hades had yet again chosen her happiness over their own. But now that she was back among the living she realized her happiness was back among the dead.

Her mother held her closer as she cried into her arms, “But how can a mortal ever love a god? I don’t even know how to find her to let her know I want to go back.”

If she waited till death it might be too late. Death might have found someone else to soothe their aching heart. And could death really love her then, old with skin like paper. Or would she by then be nothing more than a mindless specter, her mind too far gone to even remember the death god.

Sensing the longing of her daughter’s heart her mother pushed her up as she told her, “Go. Go to them.”

“But I don’t want to choose love over myself again.”

Her mother smiled, “With real love you don’t have to choose love or yourself. They walk hand in hand.”

Smiling she thanked her before running off. She could not be sure but following her heart took her to the spot she had last seen them. The first place she had met them.

The flowers at the bottom of the cliff had regrown, red like a broken heart. Seeing the sad red color made her own heart ache.

“I don’t know if you can hear me, but I miss you.”

Rocks scattered behind her as she turned back.

“Hades.”

Not Hades.

It was Peirithous.

He looked pale as he cautiously approached the area.

Her frown was tight as she snapped, “What are you doing here?”

“I saw you run off and I thought,” his voice trailed off as his eyes darted back and forth across the area like he was afraid Death would step out of the shadows.

Her heart throbbed with that longing. To see them one last time. To feel their hand on her cheek. To feel their lips against hers. To hear their voice, low and soothing, telling her everything would be alright.

As if in answer to the call of her heart she noticed some shadows on a wall shift as Death stepped out.

Peirithous let out a startled yelp as he stepped back while Persephone moved closer.

“You came.”

“As if I could ignore your call.”

She wanted to reach out, to hold them close, but stopped herself as she realized she could be wrong. She had been wrong so many times before, why would now be any different.

“Hades,” both turned back, having completely forgotten about the poet. “You will not take her from me again.”

“And who are you?” Hades sounded like they didn’t actually care to hear the answer.

“Peirithous, the poet. Persephone’s’ beloved.”

This finally got the god’s attention as they floated across the ground, stopping just in front of the man.

“And who are you to threaten a god?”

Peirithous looked paralyzed for a moment before regaining his courage, “you don’t scare me. You’re just a girl.”

Darkness covered the sun as the world around them went darker, “A girl who can drag you to hell.”

This dimmed Peirithous’ bravado as he stepped back, “I-I’m not scared of you.”

Hades’ tone was dark as they told the man, “At some point we will meet again. And when we do you’ll wish you had never seen me.”

At this Peirithous shuddered.

Years later he would not remember this warning as he broke into Tartarus to “steal back Persephone.” A mistake that would keep him from ever leaving Tartarus again.

But in the present Hades lifted their hood, showing him such a terrible sight that he ran screaming. The hood was back over the death god’s face as they turned back to face Persephone.

As they moved back to her she looked from the fleeing form of her ex back to the shadows of the hood, “What was that he saw?”

“Death has many forms. Not all of them can be stomached by mortals.”

‘Which one is the real one?”

“All of them.”

Death had stopped with a foot left between them. She closed the gap as she took a hold of their hands.

“Then I look forward to seeing all of them.”

Hades’ hands flexed in hers as their voice came out strained, “Are you sure about that?”

She tightened her hold of their hands, “I’ve never been more sure of anything. I want you.”

The wind picked up strands of Persephone’s hair as she waited for death to answer.

When they did their voice came out low, unsure, as they said, “I wasn’t sure if you would ever come back to me. I wasn’t sure if you felt the same as I did. But if you did come back I came up with a plan to ensure your happiness. A way you could have the best of both worlds, living and dead.”

Now for sure she knew she did not need anything more than Hades, but she smiled as she asked, “And what is your plan?”

“You can spend however long you like among the living, sharing your music with the world. Then when you miss me you can return to the underworld to work on your music and play with Cerberus. He misses you terribly.”

Hade’s thumb rubbed the back of her hand signaling the dog wasn’t the only one to miss her.

“And you don’t have to just return to your time. I can send you to any time to share your works with the world. You can go to the past to be among the great poets, or to the future to be a songwriter performing to sold out stadiums. But in the end, when you are ready, I will always be waiting here for you.”

Before she could answer, Hades reached into her cloak as they pulled out a small black box. It opened to reveal a ring made of sparkling diamonds. Literally, no metal band, just straight up diamond.

“But there is a downside if you do choose Death over life. If you stay with me you won’t be remembered for your accomplishments, only for who you married.”

“Isn’t that the plight of all women? Being remembered as nothing more than the wives of this or that man.” She took the box before they could take it away, “but I’m not the wife of some man and my story isn’t going to end here.”

Though she couldn’t see it she knew Hades was smiling as they cupped the side of her face in their hand.

“No, it isn’t.”

As they leaned down to kiss her she felt like she was back among the stars.

And they lived happily ever after, even till death did they never part.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Songs referenced: wish you were here by Avril Lavigne, crimson and clover by tommy james, half my hear by john mayer, all the things hse siad by tatu, chain by Fleetwood mac, paper doll by john mayer, you’re the one by Shania twain, only hurts when I breathe by Shania twain, praying by kesha, your face by (unreleased) taylor swift, selfish by madison beer, when you’re gone by the cranberries, really don’t like you by tove lo, close by nick Jonas, young and beaitufil by lana del ray. Can’t stop loing you by phil Collins, get over you by sophie ellis bextor god is a woman by ariana grande,


	16. Bonus Chapter

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Didn't really have a place for this as it kind of messed with story flow. But I liked the poetic symbolism of it so I just put it here at the end. Poetic smut?

Bonus Chapter

Persephone let out a tired sigh as she swung around the doorpost to look into Hade’s office. Their head was down, shadows focused on the pages piled on their desk.

“Hades, I’m heading to bed.”

No response.

‘Hades.”

They lifted their hand to signal they’d heard her.

Another heavy sigh as she stepped into the room.

“Can you come to bed with me? You know I can’t sleep without you.”

A heavy sigh then a the chair creaked as Hades rose from their desk. As they came around they noticed her smiling as their head tilted to the side suspiciously, “Are you trying to trick me into getting some sleep?”

“Is it working? Because I desperately want to sleep with you.”

Hades head dropped back as they let out a hearty laugh like the ocean waves at night.

As she reached out Hades took her hand as they let her pull her away from the office.

Around the castle Hades wore their hood.

“If anyone were to know the truth about Death I would lose the fragile power I have now.”

But at night, when they were alone in her room, Hades would let her remove their hood.

Her body still tingled each time she reached up, sliding the hood away from the face that had become her moonlight. Moonlight which shone as smooth as porcelain. Again she was surprised to find just how warm Death’s body felt as her fingers grazed their skin.

“Persephone.”

Her blood pounded in her ears as a flock of birds fluttered in the pit of her stomach. The birds scattered completely when she looked up to find Hades smiling at her. Eyes crinkled in the softest expression, one side of their smile crooked up higher than the other. A spark of mischief in their eyes.

“And what are you going to do once you’ve removed all my shadows?”

“You mean once I’ve removed all your barriers.”

“I don’t want to keep you out any more.”

“Good. I’m ready to stay.”

Hades let out a shuddered breath as she leaned in to place a kiss on their bare shoulder. As she moved to kiss their lips Hades stopped her, placing their thumb against her lips.

“Wait. I don’t think you realize what it means for you to stay here with me. To stay with Death.”

She reached up, taking the hand in hers as she pressed her mouth to the heel of Hades’ hand, “I’m ready to learn.”

Another shaky breath with a groan like the graves’ hunger. They licked their lips and it was like they’d rubbed stars on them.

Persephone moved forward, covering Hades’ galaxy with her own. Storms formed between their lips as they exhaled together. She felt Hades’ body move closer, like a shadow lying directly beneath the sun.

Death’s long fingers traced her spine, making her body arch into theirs. The night was calling to her and she was ready to answer.

Lips drank in the space between her clavicles. Even filled with wine nothing could make them drunker than simply being together.

Heat moved up the side of her neck as Hades breathed in her scent. The scent of spring mingling with that of winter, the cold crisp air meeting with the dawn of a new day, filled with fresh green and the promise of life.

“You’re so beautiful; you make it hard to breathe.”

She understood the feeling. Her chest was too full of love to make room for her to take a full breath. Her chest was so tight she could feel her heartbeat in her lungs.

  


You love it how I move you

You love it how I touch you

My one, when all is said and done

You’ll believe god is a woman

And I feel it after midnight

A feeling that you can’t fight

My one, it lingers when we’re done

You’ll believe god is a woman

  


Her whole body felt warm like she’d been plunged into the center of the earth. Waves of lava crashed over her, again and again. She was everywhere and nowhere all at once. It was like she was experiencing death in the way that Hades did, in the same moment she was alive and dead, both there in Tartarus while also above ground with the living.

She cried out and it was like all of time at once could hear her. Her scream echoed back and forth across etenity, her cry being the origin of life, the sound of the big bang.

  


I don’t want to waste no time

You ain’t got a one-track mind

Have I any way you like

And I can tell you know I know how I want it

Ain’t nobody else can relate

I like that you ain’t afraid

Lay me down and let’s pray

I’m tellin you the way I like it, how I want it

  


She held onto Hades tighter, feeling if she didn’t she would break apart, explode like star dust across all of time and space.

Death was her anchor. The thing keeping her tied to the present.

She cried out again and it was like the final star in the far future letting out its last burst of light before everything ended, falling into that eternal night.

The final death.

  


And I can be all the things you told me not to be

When you try to come for me, I keep flourishing

And they see the universe when I’m the company

It’s all in me

  


Waves of starlight like ocean waves, ebbing and flowing. In and out. Up and down. Wave after wave, wearing away while also bringing more with it than it had taken.

She couldn’t breathe, too overwhelmed by every sensation happening at once. Her head pounded like the cosmos were trying to whisper all the secrets to her at once.

  


I’ll tell you all the things you should know

Take my hand, save your soul

We can make it last, take it slow

And I can tell that you know I know how I want it

But you’re different from the rest

If you confess, you might be blessed

See if you deserve what comes next

I’m telling you the way I like it, how I want it

When all is said and done

You’ll believe god is a woman

  


But Death held her in place, keeping her there in the moment, not letting her go, even as she held them closer.

The galaxies were being born and dying all around them, but they held onto each other, not letting any of it pull them apart. Nothing would separate them. They were one. Shadow and light. Starlight and night. One could not exist without the other.

Just when she thought she couldn’t take anymore, that her body would be torn apart with ecstasy, she felt herself fall back as the stars around her calmed and she was plunged into the night. Into the grave where she’d always belonged.


End file.
